A day after Joe Burrow had his say about the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff, ownership and others across the organization, Ja’Marr Chase made it clear where he stood on several of those matters.
Chase, the receiving end of the Bengals’ lethal quarterback-receiver duo who said he is enduring the first losing season of his career, was generally supportive of the head coach Zac Taylor and others in the Cincinnati organization during his Dec. 18 news conference at Paycor Stadium.
Like Burrow, Chase’s voice carries weight locally and in the locker room. A week after defending his quarterback from what he perceived to be incorrect narratives put forth about Burrow, Chase weighed in on issues that have been the topic of conversation in light of the Bengals being officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The first of those subjects was regarding Taylor, and Chase spoke positively of him, saying: “He’s a player’s coach at the end of the day.”
“He (Taylor) bonds with us. Looks out for us and makes sure we’re good,” Chase said. “Not afraid to talk to us. He’s a helping hand for that, for sure.”
Chase conceded he thought the organization and coaches could be harder on the players but declined to say they should definitely take that tact.
When it was suggested to Chase that some prominent Bengals players were loyal to the front office, ownership and coaches, Chase said, “Probably because they showed them (the players) love when they got here as rookies. The bond’s been real since they were rookies, and over time you keep building on a relationship and they still have one.”
Chase also responded in the affirmative when asked if he thought the Bengals could return to an AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl: “I mean, yeah. Obviously, man, we got the best (quarterback-receiver) duo and quarterback. Every year I feel like we been getting better in the running game and (exceeding) in expectations we’ve had since last year and just getting better every year. We just got to find that piece.”
Chase’s Dec. 18 availability came toward the end of a week that’s seen the Bengals scrutinized from the top of the organization to the locker room. The coming weekend’s game against the Miami Dolphins has been a secondary concern.
Taylor fielded questions about his contract and his sense of his job security as head coach, Burrow was asked about the his future in Cincinnati, and local media members continue to unsuccessfully seek comment from Duke Tobin, the Bengals director of player personnel.
Chase might have more to say on all these subjects down the road. He said he hadn’t reflected on the totality of the 2025 season yet because it isn’t over. Also, on Dec. 14 following the 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Chase said he would probably change something about the Bengals’ operations if he had a “say-so,” but didn’t elaborate on that.
Like the 29-year-old Burrow, the 25-year-old Chase is putting up numbers suggestive of being in the prime of his playing career.
In a 2025 season deemed somewhat quiet by Chase’s standards, he’s still has managed 101 reception and 1,147-receiving yards, and he’s accomplished that with three different starting quarterbacks throwing to him (Burrow, Jake Browning and Joe Flacco). Chase is also already having his second-best season in terms of catches (101 vs. 127 catches in 2024).
Chase had 1,708 receiving yards during his 2024 “triple crown” campaign, and that’s more than likely out of reach with three games remaining against the Dolphins (Dec. 21), Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 28) and Cleveland Browns (Jan. 4). But Chase is less than 300 yards from making 2025 his second-best season in terms of receiving yards, and could knock off his rookie haul of 1,455 yards for the No. 2 perch.