Patriots could come out the winners of the ongoing Ja'Marr Chase saga

It has been quite an offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals and it continues to be with just days before their season opener against the New England Patriots. They dealt with a disgruntled Tee Higgins to start free agency, which seemed to be triggered by their decision to franchise tag him again rather than negotiate an extension, leading to his multiple trade requests in the months that followed.

Because they made it clear they weren't going to move the receiver nor get an extension done, Higgins waved the white flag and got back to practicing with the team this summer. But the Bengals did not escape the holdout curse for very long.

They're now dealing with Ja'Marr Chase's unhappiness with his current contract, and he has begun a holdout ahead of their Week 1 game.

This has dominated headlines throughout the week, as Chase continues to show up for practice but not participate. That remained the case on Monday, which head coach Zac Taylor claimed would be handled "day by day."

Although Higgins has been active at practice and will be playing against the Patriots on Sunday, not having Chase on the field is a massive blow to the Bengals' starting offense, which inevitably becomes a big win for New England's defense.

There are still a few days before it would become a significant concerns for the Bengals, who don't appear to be in any hurry to get deals done with their players, and it sounds as though they're not too worried about Chase's availability for the Week 1 game.

However, NFL insider Adam Schefter emphasized what will need to happen to guarantee the receiver is suited up for the game, and the Bengals might not like what it will take to ensure he's present.

Ja'Marr Chase drama will only be settled one way ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Patriots

Although Chase is still under contract for two more seasons, as he is set to play in the final year of his rookie contract this season and the team picked up his fifth-year option, he wants an extension to get paid more money.

He's on the books for the 2023 season with a cap hit of $9.8 million, which is significantly lower than the average annual salary of the top receivers in the NFL today, as we saw with the recent extensions of Brandon Aiyuk and Justin Jefferson.

And because of that, according to Schefter, the Bengals have 48 hours to get a contract done with Chase if they want him ready to go on Sunday.

It puts them into a predicament, yet it's a problem that could have been resolved months ago, just like with Higgins.

No matter what, however, the Patriots could still come out winners ahead of their game. If Chase isn't active, that's a big win for the defense, as they won't have to slow down one of the best receivers in the league. But if he does play, he might be rusty from not practicing all week, which could also influence how the Patriots' defense performs.

It is a story to watch this week, especially since it could make a big difference in how the game is played, mainly in the Patriots' favor.

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