Bengals’ Duke Tobin talks about a Ja’Marr Chase contract extension

The Cincinnati Bengals sound like a team ready to do whatever it takes to keep Ja’Marr Chase for the long-term.

Speaking with reporters at the Senior Bowl this week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin made that much clear.

“We like Ja’Marr. He’s in our long-term plans. He’s a high-level player in this league. And we want to keep those kinds of players on our team,” Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like Tee Higgins back. There’s a pie and there are things we can do and can’t do because of it. We’ll see.”

There’s not much reading between the lines necessary here, considering Tobin is normally pretty secretive about the team’s intentions. But this one is so obvious, why try to hide it?

The task is easier said than done when it comes to an extension, of course. The front office has to think about an extension or franchise tag for Tee Higgins, while Chase himself has said he wants to wait on names around the league such as Justin Jefferson.

But until further notice, most Chase questions directed at the Bengals will have very similar answers.