The Cincinnati Bengals have been hit with plenty of criticisms over the contract standoff with wideout Ja’Marr Chase over the last few weeks.
But the most scorching of all appears to have just arrived.
Thank Stephen A. Smith, who just blasted the Bengals over not paying Chase via an extension, going as far as saying he hopes they “lose every single damn game they play” until it happens.
“You get a guy like Joe Burrow on your squad who flat out balls,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter who he goes up against. You pay him his money, but then gonna give a problem to the people he utilizes as his primary weapons?”
The impasse between the Bengals and Chase wasn’t so easily boiled down into a few sentences. A market that saw the players in front of him paid perhaps earlier than anticipated led to Chase and his reps seeking an extension with two years left on his rookie deal. He “held-in” during camp and both sides didn’t budge down the stretch.
For now, contract talks appear to be off until next summer, the originally estimated time for an extension. So, if Smith’s dramatic wishes come true, the Bengals wouldn’t win a game all year. Wild.
.@stephenasmith hopes the Bengals fall “flat on their face” and “lose every single damn game they play” until they extend Ja’Marr Chase pic.twitter.com/Pr2rERrk0A
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 12, 2024