Joe Burrow Says Ja'Marr Chase is 'Ready to Go' After Bengals WR Returns to Practice

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase participated in practice Wednesday amid a contract dispute that has led to him holding in during training camp.

As far as Chase' fitness for Sunday's season opener against the New England Patriots is concerned, quarterback Joe Burrow has no worries, per comments to reporters (h/t Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

Chase's return is certainly a welcome sight. The three-time Pro Bowler amassed 100 receptions, 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He posted 81/1,455/13 and 87/1,046/9 stat lines in his first two years.

Chase is obviously one of the NFL's elite wide receivers, but he has not landed a lucrative second contract as of yet. He still has two years left on his rookie deal after the Bengals picked up his fifth-year option for 2025.

Everyone else in the upper echelon of the league at his position has gotten paid recently, including Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys, Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions and A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles. Those facts are probably evident to Chase.

Bengals owner Mike Brown has made it clear that he wants to keep Chase on board, but he hasn't seemed keen on doing so this summer.

"He's a key player," Brown told reporters in July, via Cincinnati Bengals Talk. "Next to Joe, he's our next one, and he knows it. We know it. This may take a while.

"We are gonna bend over backwards to get it done. I can't tell you when though."

He also added, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

"It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," Brown said. "The offseason is a better time for that and we're going to try to keep focused on the football part.

"I'm not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast."

At this juncture, it's unclear if Chase is going to get a contract extension this year, but he's in position for another electric season that could very well lead to a market-shattering deal in 2025.

For now, the focus is on Week 1, when the Bengals host the New England Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.