Ja'Marr Chase isn't holding out of Bengals camp, but he's not thrilled to be there

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a hold-in! Who could have guessed it? Pretty much everyone. The Cincinnati Bengals are cheap in nature because Mike Brown loves holding onto money more than winning, possibly his own family. After seeing Tyler Boyd walk and completely alienating Tee Higgins, we now find ourselves in the middle of a hold-in featuring the likes of one Ja'Marr Chase.

One of the things the Bengals do best is draft well. Give Duke Tobin and his staff a ton of credit for finding guys who can play ball right away in the first two days of any draft. However, when it comes to extending and paying their stars, somebody else is always tasked to cover the bill. There goes Brown scooting away toward his Oldsmobile taking up two spaces in a chain restaurant parking lot...

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Don't get me wrong. The Bengals have never been cooler in my entire life. They have had good players over the years, but not until Joe Burrow arrived have they been able to do the once improbable and win some playoff games. He got his money, but it seems as though Brown does not want to pay one of Burrow's best friends from college either.

Chase's teammates know this is merely business, but you have to feel their frustration in this as well.

Brown needs to realize he needs more than merely Burrow to win games regularly in this league.

Ja'Marr Chase's hold-in suggests Cincinnati Bengals will never change

A team's Super Bowl window is only open for so long. To me, this feels like the last year the Bengals have a really good chance at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Higgins will be gone after this season. The same may apply to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who I have long thought should be a head coach in his league already. Look at who Brian Callahan works for now. That is all you need to know.

Outside of the Dallas Cowboys, who just so happen to be owned by an octogenarian, every other team would be prioritizing finding ways to keep their best players on their roster before they hit free agency. Everybody who needs a wide receiver is going to want to sign Chase. The same principle applies to CeeDee Lamb in Dallas, who is actually holding out. It never had to be this way, I am afraid.

Everything that Chase has done in his three seasons as a pro suggests that he should be paid top-dollar. He needs to reset the wide receiver market like his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson did earlier this offseason with the Minnesota Vikings. This isn't that hard. Chase is arguably the best wide receiver in football. He is in Jefferson's class and he should make way more than Lamb. Pay the man!

Why is it always the same few franchises like the Bengals trying to keep the NFL back in yesteryear?