What’s left? (No, the stadium already has a name.)
Chase insists there is still a long list of goals. He may still need two Post-it notes.
“A lot,” he says. “Championships. Playoffs. Not just accolades. Being a leader. There’s a lot more.”
Chase has never shied away from being at the front, even as the youngest guy in the room for a stretch. But he hints there could be some tweaks to his leadership style.
“That could be a thing. That could be a question. Who knows? It’s all in the moment and how I handle it,” Chase says. “Just improving small things, characteristics. Nothing I can really put my hand on.”
Chase says he’s not focusing on anything specific in his game as he rounds into shape for the Bengals’ second phase of voluntary workouts that begin next week.
“Get better at everything I can do,” he says, while also admitting last season’s dominance put his expectations in another tier.
“A little bit. Yes and no. There are expectations, the standard is high,” Chase says. “Just have fun and play my game, but also know I’m holding myself to a higher standard now. Higher than whatever it was.”
Chase enjoys traveling, and the NFL’s offer to send him to Milan, Italy last month allowed him to step out of the box and check a box. He sampled food tasting and took a spin around a Formula One racing track while introducing the Bengals’ No. 1 to a new part of the world.
(He also, the internet reported, traded jerseys with Christian Pulisic, U.S. men’s national team and AC Milan soccer star.)