Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has now watched and observed the Cincinnati Bengals' first two training camp practices this week.
Is this because he wants a new contract? That's the current speculation. Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Thursday afternoon that the 24-year old is indeed healthy as he's not on any injured list.
Sitting out of team drills as a healthy player while being present for practice altogether indicates this is indeed a "hold-in," not a traditional "holdout" in which a player doesn't report to the team for contractual reasons.
Chase has one year remaining on his rookie contract that will pay him $1,055,000 this season (he's also set to earn a roster bonus of $3,807,679 in the coming days), but the Bengals have also exercised his fifth-year option for the 2025 season that will pay him a guaranteed $21,816,000.
The Bengals have plenty of time to extend Chase before free agency is even a possibility in 2026, but it's apparent Chase is ready to sign now. Team president Mike Brown's plans to bend over backwards to sign him when the time comes probably didn't move him as much as Brown may've hoped.
So why is he at practice but not practicing? A few reasons stand out.
Why Ja'Marr Chase is "holding in"
By not participating in practice, Chase is preserving himself to avoid any unnecessary injury that would diminish his value as a player. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver has sustained a hip fracture during the 2022 season that forced him out for about a month, and he missed one game in 2023 due to a shoulder A/C joint injury.
Injuries could happen at any point from the start of camp to the end of the season. When the opportunity comes to avoid putting yourself in harm's way without being a detriment to the team's chances at winning, players in Chase's shoes have opted for caution many a time.
This all doesn't mean that Chase is doing nothing. He's been performing individual drills following each of the team's first two practices, and it's a fair assumption that he'll continue doing so when he's not participating in the team portion.
And hey, if you're gonna show up jersey and all, you might as well put in some reps with the jugs machine.
While Chase won't say at this time whether or not he's declining to practice because of his contract, his current contract is the reason why he's showing up at all. Players who are still on their rookie deals are fined $40,000 a day for unexcused absences, but those fines can also be rescinded. Teams don't have to fine players who hold-in.
The Bengals don't want to fine Chase, in fact, Taylor says the communication between him and veteran players, like Tee Higgins , who won't practice every day has been great.
“I've got a plan for Ja'Marr, a plan for Tee [Higgins], and done a great job communicating with those guys,” Taylor said Wednesday.
His tone didn't change Thursday.
"We got a bunch of guys like I told you guys yesterday, we've got a plan for early in camp. Tee being that guy today also with Ja'Marr, Trey Hendrickson. Tomorrow Joe [Burrow] won't throw, that was pre-planned. I think you guys would agree he's looked pretty good out here and healthy. So, again, there's a lot of guys that they and I are on the same page with how we want to handle things and so far so good."
It's far too early to tell whether or not Taylor and Chase's plan will involve any practice participation, or even preseason participation. Taylor would obviously like for one of his star players to be out there with everyone else, but he's been through these situations before. Taylor has consistently supported his players' wishes over the years, and that won't stop here.
Chase being present and around the team is also a positive for morale. He's right alongside his fellow receivers as they take their turn going through the drills, getting valuable reps that they all need more than the offense's #1 weapon, literally.
The likes of Jermaine Burton, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, and Shedrick Jackson are all getting a bump in exposure with Burrow. The franchise quarterback kept things honest about Chase during his camp opening presser this week.
"We've had our discussions that I'll keep private, but his business is his business," Burrow said. "He's out here encouraging guys, and I'm not entirely sure what his plan is at this point. I know he's with us 100%. And so when he's ready to come back out there and practice we'll be ready to have him and I know that he's going to be physically and mentally ready, whenever you step back out here and he's going to be the Ja'Marr Chase that everybody knows that he is."
The last player Burrow needs reps with is Chase. The two have been playing catch for the better part of six years now. Their connection will make up for any lost practice time, especially since Chase isn't recovering from an injury of any sort.
Adversity has hit the Bengals hard in each of the previous three training camps. Not having the star quarterback out there, or at 100% has taken its toll on all occasions. But Burrow's healthy now, Higgins is getting his work in, and Chase is preparing his own way in the presence of everyone else.
It's not perfect, but there have been worse times around this part of the calendar.
Chase's strategy isn't likely to succeed in getting him a new contract. The Bengals simply have to wait him out until the season begins, and negotiations will pick back up at the start of next offseason . This whole ordeal wasn't likely foreseen by the front office until fellow 2021 NFL draftees Jaylen Waddle, Penei Sewell, and Devonta Smith all inked major deals earlier in the offseason. Non-quarterbacks drafted in the first round typically have to wait until after their fourth seasons because of the leverage the fifth-year option gives clubs. This year became an exception to that rule, leaving Chase one of the true stars from that class stuck on his rookie deal.
It stinks for him, but this is the Bengals we're talking about. When do they ever budge in the name of pity?
The Bengals will have Chase to start the regular season. There's zero reason to believe otherwise. He's simply performing self-preservation in a way that also minimizes distraction.
Cincinnati can live with that for now.
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