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Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase left no doubt about his playing status for Saturday’s game against the Vikings.
“I’m going [to play],” Chase said Wednesday. “100 percent.”
Chase suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win over the Colts. He was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report, and would not have practiced Tuesday if the Bengals had held one. The team opted for a walk-through at its indoor practice facility on a short week.
The third-year receiver out of LSU said he picked up the injury on his first catch in the team’s 34-14 win over the Colts. Chase isn’t sure how he suffered the ankle issue but knew he felt something. He finished the game with three catches on four targets for 29 yards and played on 87% of the team’s offensive snaps, the highest rate of any Bengals receiver in the game.
Chase said he didn’t feel any discomfort on a Wednesday practice that went smoothly. He switched cleats after the team’s stretching period, but that was just to break in a new pair, he said. He isn’t the only high-profile receiver battling an injury issue heading into this weekend’s matchup between playoff hopefuls. Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Chase’s teammate at LSU, has been limited this week with a chest injury. However, he has also told reporters he expects to play.
The communication between the two friends has been limited leading up to Saturday’s game.
“We’re not going to talk besides me checking on him,” Chase said.
That includes any discussion about contracts for both players. Jefferson has not reached a contract extension on his rookie contract yet. Chase is eligible for a new deal next year and said he hasn’t heard any estimates on what Jefferson’s deal might look like.
Since Jefferson entered the league in 2020, he has amassed the most receiving yards (4,825) in a player’s first three seasons. Chase, who has four games left in his third season, is next on that list with 3,593 receiving yards. Chase, however, already has 29 touchdowns while Jefferson had 25.
Chase is eager to know where Jefferson stands in his contract negotiations before he officially embarks on his own extension.
“I’m not talking nothing about no contract yet, man,” Chase said with a laugh Wednesday. “I need to see some more numbers from him.”