Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase Hypes Justin Jefferson's Record NFL Contract: 'BREAK DA BANK!'

Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase gave a shoutout to his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson after he agreed to a historic contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

Chase tagged Jefferson on Instagram, writing "BREAK DA BANK!" and "Congrats dawgy" in the wake of the new deal.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Jefferson agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension with the Vikings that includes $110 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Chase and Jefferson played together at LSU for two seasons from 2018 to '19. They were part of the legendary Tigers team that won the national title in 2019 with a 15-0 record and averaged an FBS-high 48.4 points per game.

Joe Burrow won the Heisman Trophy for that team after throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns.

While Chase is undoubtedly excited for his college buddy, he was also probably keeping an eye on Jefferson's extension because it will almost certainly affect his negotiations with the Bengals.

This offseason is the first time that Chase is eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Bengals. He is under contract for two more seasons, so the team doesn't have to be in a rush to get a deal done.

Based on where receiver contracts are at right now, though, it would seem to be in Cincinnati's best interest to try and get something done as soon as possible.

Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyreek Hill are currently the only wide receivers making at least $30 million per season.

The Bengals appear to have made Chase the receiver they want to invest big money in. Their offers to Tee Higgins have reportedly never approached $20 million annually.

On the one hand, this could be interpreted as a sign they are planning to give a major offer to Chase. He has been Burrow's favorite target since entering the NFL in 2021 and is on the short list of best receivers in the league.

On the other hand, Bengals owner Mike Brown isn't known for having an aggressive approach when it comes to keeping a core together. He did make Burrow the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history last year by giving him a five-year, $275 million extension.

It doesn't hurt Chase's negotiating leverage that Burrow reportedly pushed for the Bengals to draft the star wide receiver in 2021 when there were also calls to select Penei Sewell.

Burrow denied he lobbied for Chase, but their results together in the NFL show it was a good decision by Cincinnati. The 24-year-old has the seventh-most receiving yards ever (3,717) and tied for the sixth-most touchdown catches (29) for a player through his first three seasons.