Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase returned to the team on Tuesday after being away for the entire offseason while seeking a contract extension. Multiple reports confirm that Chase reported to the team’s mandatory minicamp on Monday, avoiding over $100,000 in fines that he would have faced if he had skipped the workouts. Despite some players being willing to accept fines as part of the contract negotiation process, Chase has chosen to take a different approach by attending the minicamp.
Earlier in the offseason, Chase had mentioned that he was waiting for Justin Jefferson of the Vikings to sign a new deal before finalizing his own contract negotiations. With Jefferson recently securing a new contract, this could pave the way for the Bengals and Chase to come to an agreement before the start of training camp. While Chase has returned to the team, wide receiver Tee Higgins is currently absent as he has not signed his franchise tag. Both parties have until mid-July to reach a long-term agreement.
