NFL Insider Sheds Light on Situation With Cincinnati Bengals Star WR

As the season sits now less than three weeks away, the Cincinnati Bengals are still missing their biggest playmaker on offense.

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been seeking a new contract and has not been practicing throughout the offseason as a result. While Chase has been in the building, it remains unclear exactly what his intentions are entering the final season of his rookie deal and still under team control with the fifth-year option in 2025.

While it's unlikely that Chase would actually sit games out if he does not get what he wants now, it's been long enough to make fans nervous. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter gave a report to shed some light on what exactly is going on in Cincinnati.

"I think right now to me this is the one that remains the most mysterious," Schefter said . "I think Cincinnati will still push to get this deal done, but from my understanding there hasn't been a whole lot of progress, and if there's not a lot of progress, then you wonder what's next. Chad Ochocinco, the former great Bengals wide receiver, said over the weekend that he thinks the two sides will figure out a deal this week but he also added if the two sides can't get a deal done, he does not believe that Ja'Marr Chase will step on a football field again until he has a new contract, and I think there are other people around the league who feel the same way about that particular situation that I think has flown a little under the radar."

If Schefter's reporting is accurate, it would surely increase Cincinnati's urgency to get a deal done with Chase. Him being paid has always been a matter of when and not if, and with the market only going up at the position , the team would be wise to pay Chase now before tensions rise any further.