Ja’Marr Chase stirs the pot with a question Joe Burrow had no issue answering following another lost season for the Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase sees better than he hears with the Bengals’ coaching staff.
The safe bet exiting the regular season is Zac Taylor will remain the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, and there won’t be any major changes to his staff despite finishing with a 6-11 record.
Cincinnati will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year, and 6-11 is the club’s worst record since going 4-11-1 in 2020. It’s fair to ask the best players if Taylor and his staff have their utmost confidence going forward entering 2026.
Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase said a lot when asked this question without saying much at all.
“I am very confident in myself,” Chase said after pausing to answer. “I’m confident in the plays that they call for me to get open.”
Not only was that not a direct answer, it was very calculated to be as positive as possible without saying he has confidence in Taylor and the staff as a whole.
A simple “yes” would’ve closed doors that are now wide open.
Ja’Marr Chase isn’t exactly all-in on the Bengals’ coaching staff
Cincinnati finished 9-8 in both 2023 and 2024. The end of last season saw virtually complete turnover of the defensive coaching staff, headlined by defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo being replaced by Al Golden.
The Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15, three weeks earlier compared to 2024, and yet, Taylor’s job security wasn’t much of a conversation around that time. Not even Golden, who has coordinated a bottom-of-the-league defense, is presumed to be on the hot seat.
Winning the following two games only made it more likely Taylor and Co. will be staying put, and with the offense scoring a combined 82 points in those games, you’d think one of the star players would be more inclined to advocate for the HC who also calls plays for that side of the ball.
But Chase, who made headlines for a vague answer on the subject last month, is doing anything but erasing speculation surrounding his confidence in the coaching staff’s ability to turn things around beyond just getting him the ball.
Chase is also misaligned with Joe Burrow on the same subject
There is really only one player in Cincinnati’s locker room who has more reason to back the coaches than Chase, and it’s his quarterback.
Joe Burrow is completely empowered by Taylor and the offensive coaching staff. He has free reign to make checks on
Joe Burrow has been steadfast in his support for Taylor and Co. despite the losses outnumbering the wins in 2025, and he made that clear yet again following Sunday’s 20-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
“I’m very confident our coaching staff,” Burrow said. “I know those guys work really hard to push in good positions, and you know, I always feel well prepared and put in the best spot to go out and succeed. So from that standpoint, I think we’re in a good spot.”
That’s lightyears different than what Chase said, and it’s not nothing. Burrow may be the highest-paid player on the roster, but Chase is right behind him and is a team captain as well. His 2024 All-Pro honor is the only All-Pro honor on the entire team. His words carry weight, or at least they should.
Chase’s non-answer wouldn’t be enough to get Taylor, Golden, or anyone else fired if the Bengals weren’t already leaning that way, but if the staff is staying intact, they’ll need to earn his confidence back this year.
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