CINCINNATI – Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has said his participation in Sunday’s season opener against the New England Patriots will not be decided until shortly before game time amid what he called an “aggravating” contract dispute.

Chase broke his silence Friday and said he is willing to play this season even if the two sides cannot agree on an extension, but whether he steps onto the new turf at Paycor Stadium on Sunday is up to him.

“It’s my decision,” said Chase, whose appearance on the Bengals’ roster was questionable.

Chase isn’t the only Bengals wide receiver who could miss Sunday’s game. Tee Higgins is questionable after suffering a hamstring injury on Thursday.

Chase changed into practice on Friday, participating for three consecutive days after not practicing throughout training camp and skipping practice on Monday before the official game week began on Tuesday.

He indicated that both sides were close to reaching an agreement and had made progress recently. Chase said he had a deadline of Friday to reach an agreement.

“The chance is slim, but who knows what will happen in the next few hours?” Chase said.

During the offseason, other wide receivers received significant contract extensions, including those from his 2021 draft class and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, Chase’s former college teammate at LSU and good friend. When asked about a report that Chase wanted to add a penny to Jefferson’s $140 million deal, he reacted angrily.

“If I’m going to beat Justin, I’m going to beat the shit out of him,” Chase said. “Not for a penny, brother.”

Chase said he did not ask for a new contract and that the Bengals told him before the offseason that they wanted to extend his contract, but he added that even if the team had not made that proposal, he would have sought an extension on his rookie contract through the end of 2025.

He said his stance on Chase’s desire for a deal has not changed.

“I mean, nothing has really changed,” Chase told ESPN. “Justin and CeeDee (Lamb) set the market. The market was set. It was written for me, I didn’t write it.”

Chase said some aspects of guaranteed money and average annual value are still priorities for him, but as in his last public comments in January, he was unwilling to give too much away.

“I won’t tell you word for word, but part of it,” Chase said.