Skipping practices as he waits for a new contract could be working for Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase.

Appearing on the Saturday morning SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained there is “a little bit of hope” that Chase and the Bengals could potentially get a deal done before the start of the regular season:

“The Bengals, I’m told, are trying to get this done. I’m hearing that they’ve tipped up their negotiations a little bit. And so they’re trying to get him back on the practice field, because he’s been holding in, so this has been a complicated negotiation because he’s got two years left on his contract, the Bengals have a little bit of leverage there. But if this gets done over the next few days, they can get him back on the practice field, this should fall somewhere in that $34-35 million range per year, or at least that’s the expectation, talking to people around the league because you’ve got CeeDee Lamb making $34 million a year, Justin Jefferson at 35, I don’t think he’ll surpass Jefferson, but he’s going to be really high in that stratosphere. But the problem really is the guaranteed money, the structure, the number of years. They’re still really hashing out everything is my understanding, but people are on standby in Cincinnati. There’s a feeling, a little bit of hope, a little bit of optimism, that maybe they can get this across the finish line in the next few days.”

Fowler also said that he believes the Bengals have “intensified” efforts recently:

Chase has taken an unusual approach to pressuring the Bengals. He was present for mandatory minicamp in June and all of training camp until Aug. 13.

Head coach Zac Taylor said at that time they would take Chase’s absence “one day at a time,” but declined to get into more specifics about the situation.

The Bengals indicated on Sunday that Chase returned to practice by posting a picture on X of him in uniform and catching a pass.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted Chase’s return to practice was intended to be a “good-faith gesture” even though there were no indications the Bengals were close to a contract agreement.

Chase skipped practices on Wednesday and Thursday after Taylor said on Tuesday the plan was for him to be on the practice field with the team.

Even though Chase didn’t participate in practices at the end of the week, he was present at the Bengals team facilities. He is the last of the marquee receivers still seeking a new contract before the season begins.

Bengals owner Mike Brown told reporters in July they would “bend over backwards” to get a deal done with Chase.

The 24-year-old Chase has been one of the best receivers in the NFL since entering the league in 2021. His 3,717 receiving yards are the seventh-most by any player in NFL history through their first three seasons.

Chase’s 29 touchdown receptions are tied with Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill for the third-most in the league over the past three seasons.

The Bengals will open the 2024 regular season on Sept. 8 against the New England Patriots.