Star cornerback takes an extremely bold route to praise Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez came very close to making his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in his first full NFL season this past year. The 22-year old has only played in 20 games, but he's already well-respected in the league as an ascending talent. The respect he's earned doesn't even compare to […]
New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez came very close to making his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in his first full NFL season this past year. The 22-year old has only played in 20 games, but he's already well-respected in the league as an ascending talent.
The respect he's earned doesn't even compare to the respect he recently gave to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Gonzalez, who spent his fifth-career game guarding Chase this past season, proclaimed Cincinnati's All-Pro wideout as the best football player. Not the best wide receiver. Not the best offensive player. The best player. Period.
“Ja’Marr [is] the best football player," Gonzalez said on the Frat Rules Podcast. "I’d say he the best football player because the way they use him. He not out there just like running routes. They don’t line him up at the X and say, ‘Oh run a dig route.’ I mean, they do occasionally. But what he do, they move him around. They give him screens, they put him in the backfield. . .They use him a lot because he's good with the ball in his hands, so they just wanna get him the ball and let him go to work."
Gonzalez emphasized the fact that Chase is utilized in more than just traditional wideout ways increases his value, and makes him tougher to stop. He even threw out an interesting and nuanced comparison to Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry.
"They use him a lot because he's good with the ball in his hands," Gonzalez said.
"So they just wanna get him the ball and let him go to work. Ja’Marr Chase big too. Ja’Marr Chase like a running back. So like when he get the ball in his hands, it’s like a little Derrick Henry.
"Ja’Marr Chase obviously can run routes, he a NFL receiver. But, he a football player.”
Gonzalez does his homework that's for sure. Chase was moved around a lot more often in 2024 compared to his first three years in Cincinnati thanks to Dan Pitcher taking over at offensive coordinator. He had the seventh-most receptions behind the line of scrimmage (23) and the 12th-highest yards per route run (7.04) on those targets while also top-12 in the intermediary and deep portions of the field.
There isn't a part of the field defenders are safe from having to stop Chase. In a league where offenses get favorable treatment in the rulebook, he's the ultimate weapon to defend against.
Gonzalez should be on Chase's side of the negotiating table this offseason when the Bengals approach him again about a contract extension. All indications point to Chase becoming the highest-paid receiver in history when pen meets paper, and that would also make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in history as well.
A title that matches the praise Gonzalez bestowed upon him.
Joe Burrow uses a simple Ja’Marr Chase question to put even more pressure on the Bengals during Pro Bowl Skill Show
Burrow continues to stand on business.
