Ja'Marr Chase: Goal Is to Lead NFL in Receiving Yards, TDs, Receptions Next Season

Ja'Marr Chase has already set a high bar for himself after just one season in the NFL, but the Cincinnati Bengals star is aiming for more heading into the 2022 campaign. 

Appearing on the I Am Athlete YouTube show (starts at 29:00 mark), Chase said his "biggest goal" for the upcoming season is to win the "triple crown" by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. 

The bar is set incredibly high for Chase and the Bengals. He carried the chemistry he had with Joe Burrow at LSU to the NFL seamlessly, as they led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988. 

Chase will need to get even better next season if he wants to reach his goals. The 22-year-old tied for 20th in targets (128), tied for 20th in receptions (81), finished fourth in receiving yards (1,455) and third in touchdown receptions (13). 

Those numbers resulted in Chase being named Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Chase did have a lull in the middle of the season that dragged down his numbers. He had 20 receptions, 204 yards and two touchdowns during a five-game span from Week 8 to 13. He also had another game in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos with one catch for three yards. 

It's plausible that Chase could take a significant leap in production in 2022. Cooper Kupp, who won the receiving triple crown last season (145 receptions, 1,947 yards, 16 touchdowns), wasn't viewed as an elite player before 2021. 

Kupp never had a season with more than 94 catches, 1,161 yards or 10 touchdowns from 2017 to 2020. 

The biggest difference for Kupp last season was the addition of Matthew Stafford at quarterback. There is a reasonable argument to be made that Burrow is at least as good as Stafford, if not better. 

With a full season of NFL experience, Chase should have a better understanding of how to manipulate defenses in order to avoid those valleys he had at times as a rookie. 

If that ends up being the case, look for Chase to be even more dominant for the reigning AFC champions in 2022.