Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase suggested Friday that he wants a contract that far exceeds the record deal Justin Jefferson signed with the Minnesota Vikings in June.

While speaking to reporters, Chase responded to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport last month in which Rapoport said he believed Chase's goal was for his contract to beat Jefferson's "by one cent."

When asked about it, Chase responded, "If I want to beat Justin, I want to beat the s--t out of Justin. Not by a penny, brother."

Chase, who has two years left on his current contract, was a hold in throughout training camp and the preseason, but he practiced with the Bengals for the first time Wednesday despite there being no resolution on a new deal yet.

Jefferson became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history when he signed a four-year, $140 million contract with $110 million guaranteed.

In 2018 and 2019, Jefferson and Chase were college teammates at LSU, and they helped the Tigers put forth one of the most legendary seasons in college football history in their final year, as they went 15-0 and won a national championship.

Both went on to be first-round picks in the NFL draft, as Jefferson went 22nd overall in 2020 and Chase went fifth overall in 2021.

Jefferson had more receiving yards than any player in NFL history over their first three seasons with 4,825, and he followed that up last season with 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns despite missing seven games due to injury.

Chase's production hasn't quite reached the level of Jefferson's, but the 24-year-old has been a dynamic force nonetheless, racking up 268 catches for 3,717 yards, 29 touchdowns and three Pro Bowl selections over three seasons.

He has a great rapport with quarterback Joe Burrow, who was also his quarterback at LSU, and it stands to reason that the Bengals would love to keep that tandem together for many years to come even if it means handing out a market-changing contract.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chase told the media Friday that he believes the deadline to get a new deal done before the start of the season is Friday, and he feels they are "in reach" of an agreement.

However, if no deal gets done, Chase said he is willing to play under his current contract this season if he has to.

As far as Sunday's season-opening game against the New England Patriots goes, Chase called himself a "game-time decision" and said he will likely be limited if he does play.

The Bengals faced a similar situation with another wide receiver in Tee Higgins earlier this offseason, but when no long-term deal was reached, Higgins agreed to play this season under the franchise tag.

Unless Chase and the Bengals figure something out Friday, it appears Chase could play in 2024 without his desired contract as well.