Ja’Marr Chase says what Joe Burrow won’t after Bengals’ postseason dream officially dies in Week 15
Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow had conflicting thoughts about what’s to come for the Bengals moving forward.
The Cincinnati Bengals still have three games to play this season, but all eyes can now be directed toward the offseason after the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention with a 24-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
No matter what happens over the next several months, Ja’Marr Chase will be in Cincinnati to witness it. Chase was asked after Sunday’s loss if there were any changes he would like to see, and he did not pass up the opportunity.
“If I had a say so it would probably be something,” Chase told reporters. “But I don’t know what I can do.”
The question was a follow-up to being asked about his current belief in the coaching staff.
“Yeah. We had great plays today that gave us opportunities to score and kill them deep,” Chase said. “But sometimes we didn’t connect, and so be it.”
That’s far from a nothing burger from Chase, and he wasn’t the only important figurehead of the team who had the chance to speak on the topic.
Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow differ on an important Bengals topic
Despite Chase’s humility with the second part of his answer, he may be one of only a few people in Paycor Stadium who actually can instill change. The size of his salary matches the $40 million-per-year wide receiver’s importance to the club, and his words should carry proportional weight with the decision-makers upstairs.
It’s intriguing to opine how much influence Chase has here, but it’s not a matter of opinion when it comes to Joe Burrow. The 29-year-old quarterback is not only the face of the Bengals, but he also holds the most power out of any player in the locker room.
His words as the franchise quarterback can reach the front office in ways no other member of the roster can. Look no further than Chase, Tee Higgins, and Mike Gesicki, all of whom received multi-year contracts earlier this year, following his public push for that outcome.
Burrow was asked directly if he still has confidence in the front office and coaching staff to get Cincinnati over the hump and out of the playoff rut the Bengals remain in, and Burrow took the high road without hesitation.
“A lot of confidence,” Burrow said. “I know how hard people work at it,” Burrow said. “We got the right people — starts with players playing better. Today was me.”
Burrow was then asked if the Bengals have enough people, or the right people, to get the job done. He doubled down on the players needing to carry their weight.
“This is a team effort,” Burrow said. “You know, at the end of the day, players got to play better on the field. Today was me. I got to be better.”
There are likely reasons why Burrow offered full support, whereas Chase went a different route. Burrow’s aforementioned success in campaigning for his weaponry to be paid this past offseason gives him reason to back the front office. He also objectively played far below his standard in Sunday’s loss and had more incentive to take accountability at every opportunity instead of deflecting any sort of attention from him in that moment.
Chase is in different shoes. He was far from perfect Sunday but still posted 132 receiving yards on 10 catches. He’s on track to make his fifth straight Pro Bowl to start his career despite all the turmoil of this season and is now one of only two receivers to reach 6,500 yards and 50 touchdowns in their first five years. The other is Randy Moss.
Chase is a superstar. He’s also more at the mercy of both the QB and coach in the pursuit of personal and team success. He may be more inclined to sing a different tune in a still respectful manner.
Regardless, when the message from the best two players on the team isn’t unified, it suggests change is at least worth discussing. Chase speaking his mind now allows a dialogue about whether the Bengals should indeed make significant changes.
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