With the Cincinnati Bengals toiling at 4-8, the NFL trade rumor mill is in full go for star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The 24-year-old is in the middle of a career year as he concludes the fourth year of his rookie contract.
The Kansas City Chiefs traded star Tyreek Hill, 28 at the time, in the final year of his three-year, $60 million deal to the Miami Dolphins after the 2021 campaign. Miami subsequently handed him a three-year, $90 million extension.
Sports Illustrated posited the idea of a Chase trade to a handful of anonymous NFL front-office personnel to mixed reviews. One NFC talent evaluator particularly liked the thought and compared a Cincinnati trade to the one Kansas City completed.
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“I would think [it makes sense,” they admitted to Matt Verderame. “[Chase is] a better overall player and I would guess less baggage and younger at the time of the trade.”
Hill pled guilty to assaulting a former girlfriend while at Oklahoma State. At the time of the trade, he was a three-time First-Team All-Pro selected and Super Bowl winner. Kansas City received a first, second, two-fourths, and a sixth-round pick in return for the receiver.
Despite his team’s poor record, Chase leads the NFL in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. The 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year is poised to earn his maiden First-team All-Pro nod.
Tyreek Hill has made two First-team All-Pro squads since he was traded to the Dolphins in 2022 (
Getty Images)
One former general manager recommended handing Chase an extension. The Bengals wideout held out for much of the team’s training camp in hopes of a deal paying him north of $35 million a season – therefore eclipsing Justin Jefferson for the title of highest-paid receiver.
Chase holds a $9.8 million cap hit this season. Cincinnati already accepted his $21.8 team option next season and can franchise him in 2026, giving the team leverage in any negotiation.
“All this BS that was going on this offseason and prior to the season, I’m just happy that it’s over with,” Chase told reporters in September. “I’m finally playing ball and having fun with the guys. That’s what matters most for me.”
He took out a $50 million insurance policy ahead of the campaign to safeguard against any possible injury. At the time of writing, Chase or the Bengals have not indicated if he will sit out the rest of the 2024 season if the team is eliminated from playoff contention.
Cincinnati has limped to a 4-8 record by no fault of the offense. The team owns a dismal 1-7 record in one-score games and has seen the defense regress from league average to one of the worst in the NFL.
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