In the unlikely event that the Cincinnati Bengals decide to trade superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, they’d receive a haul that would help accelerate a potential rebuild.
The Bengals and Ja’Mar Chase were unable to agree on an extension before the start of the 2024 campaign. Next season will mark the final year on the three-time Pro Bowler’s rookie contract.
With the Bengals (4-8) about to miss the playoffs for the second straight year, some wonder if Chase will request a trade. It doesn’t help matters that owner Mike Brown is notoriously budget-conscious, as we saw with the refusal to extend fellow stars Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson in the offseason.
Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated spoke to several NFL executives to get their takes on a potential Ja’Marr Chase. According to the report, Cincy would get something “equivalent” or greater than what the Kansas City Chiefs got from the Miami Dolphins in a Chase deal:
Of the half-dozen front-office personnel and general managers I’ve spoken with around the league, almost all believe Cincinnati would either get a deal equivalent to or likely exceeding what the Kansas City Chiefs got when they traded Tyreek Hill in March 2022.”
“I would think so,” an NFC evaluator told Verderame. “He’s a better overall player and I would guess less baggage and younger at the time of the trade.”
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#Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase was listed as limited in practice today because of an ankle injury.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 5, 2024
In the 2022 offseason, Kansas City sent Hill to Miami for their 2022 first, second and fourth-round picks plus 2025 fourth and sixth-round selections. The All-Pro wideout then signed a $120 million extension over four years.
It’s rare for superstar wide receivers to be traded in their primes. One can argue that Ja’Marr Chase is the second-best receiver in the game behind Justin Jefferson, so Cincy would likely get multiple first-round picks in a potential trade.
Bengals Should Pay Ja’Marr Chase
Cincinnati could trade their superstar wide receiver for a mammoth haul. But at the end of the day, draft picks are merely lottery tickets.
Trading Chase would be a bad move from a PR standpoint, and it certainly wouldn’t make Joe Burrow very happy. If the Bengals won’t pay a world-class talent in his prime like Chase, how could fans actually believe that ownership is committed to winning?
Add it all up, and it only makes sense for Cincinnati to pay Chase in the offseason.