Ja'Marr Chase Talks Joe Burrow, Bengals' 2025 NFL Season and More in B/R Interview

There wasn't a single wide receiver in the NFL who was better than Ja'Marr Chase during the 2024 season.

But the Cincinnati Bengals star still thinks the best is yet to come. 

"All I can do is get better," Chase told Bleacher Report. "There's plenty of room to grow even though I achieved great things. I'm just looking to repeat it and show people what I can do all over again. Show them I'm not just overhyped."

Anyone who believes Chase is overhyped wasn't watching as he finished last season with the receiver Triple Crown and led the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdown receptions (17).

He has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in the NFL and has chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow that dates back to when they were torching defenses together as national champions at LSU.

That combination was once again unstoppable in 2024 as Burrow led the league in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) and set franchise records in each category. He also joined elite company in Tom Brady (2007) and Aaron Rodgers (2011) as the only quarterbacks in league history to throw for at least 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns with fewer than 10 interceptions.

Despite those incredible numbers, Burrow was just fourth in MVP voting and is still chasing the sport's highest individual award.

"I feel like Joe has many MVP years, he just didn't win them," Chase said.

Yet the Bengals still fell short of the playoffs despite having arguably the game's top quarterback and wide receiver. It was their second straight year missing the postseason after they reached the Super Bowl during the 2021 season and the AFC Championship Game during the 2022 campaign.

A poor start once again stood in the way, as the Bengals opened the year with three straight losses to the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders. Even a five-game winning streak to end the season wasn't enough to get over the hump, just like they were never able to fully recover from a 1-3 start in 2023.

"It's hard to know how last year went, we went through a lot," Chase said. "All we can do is be confident in ourselves and push the guys on both sides of the ball to be better this year. We changed our defense, I think that's going to be something cool to see now. There's going to be a lot in store."

Those changes were necessary on the defensive side of the ball, as Cincinnati finished the 2024 campaign just 25th in the league in points allowed (25.5) and yards allowed per game (348.3).

It responded by firing defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and bringing in Al Golden, who held the same position with Notre Dame and helped lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff national championship game last season.

While there is still contract uncertainty with pass-rushers Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, Chase is confident in what he's seen on the other side of the ball.

"I like the defense, it's going to be fun to see against other people," he said.

And Cincinnati will need that defense to take significant strides to accomplish Chase's primary goal for the upcoming campaign.

"For me, I would love for us to just get in the playoffs first," the receiver said. "I don't want to miss the playoffs. I just don't want to let that happen again and let another chance slide by. It's not good sitting at home watching these people play."

Reaching the playoffs will also give him a bigger platform to expand his partnerships off the field, including his most recent one with General Mills.

Chase and fellow wide receivers Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions will be on the boxes of limited-edition cereals showing off their touchdown celebrations and personalities. 

"It's been a cool partnership," the Bengals star said. "It's cool to have the opportunity to work with them since I grew up eating the cereal my entire life."

Chase will be on the cover of Lucky Charms boxes and show off his "Lucky Strut" touchdown dance skills on the back of the boxes. Jefferson will be on the cover of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, St. Brown will be on Honey Nut Cheerios and they will all be featured together on Reese's Puffs.

There will also be a special Jettas Mix created by Jefferson that combines Frosted Lemon Cheerios with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry, but Chase believes he has bragging rights over his former LSU teammate.

"Of course the Lucky Charms are the best one," he said. "And not just because they've got 'Lucky' in them. … Kids love the marshmallows of course, that's the biggest part. I just think it's a great opportunity to show the next generation what we have."

If his touchdown celebrations are going to move from the back of cereal boxes back to the field in 2025, he is going to have to beat some elite cornerbacks.

The AFC North already had Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns, who Chase called the toughest cornerback he's faced, and then added even more headliners this offseason when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey and the Baltimore Ravens signed Jaire Alexander.

The Ramsey addition in particular stood out in regards to Chase since they faced each other in Super Bowl LVI when the cornerback was on the Los Angeles Rams. Bengals' seasons are also partially defined by how they perform against the rival Steelers, and Chase didn't exactly quiet the hype with a cryptic message on social media after the trade was reported:

"I know overall it's going to be a fun matchup," he said. "We don't really see each other that often, and now we get to see each other twice a year. It's going to bring more excitement and more hype to the games. 

But I don't really want to talk about it too much, I just want to show how fun it will be on the field."

That AFC North rivals were focused on bolstering their secondaries this offseason comes as no surprise considering they will have to counter a Cincinnati team that doubled down on its dominant aerial attack.

The contract situations surrounding Chase and wide receiver Tee Higgins was a major storyline heading into the offseason since they were each under team control for just one more year. That the Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins, who requested a trade ahead of the 2024 free agency period, for a second straight year only added to the speculation.

Even Chase participated in a "hold-in" during training camp last year before returning to the field, so the situation seemed tenuous.

And then the Bengals ended any long-term concern when they agreed to deals with both playmakers in March. Chase's was for four years and $161 million and made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league on an annual basis, while Higgins' was for four years and $115 million.

"It's just better this way," Chase said of ending the drama early in the offseason and coming to terms on a new contract well before training camp. "It's a relief for us to go straight into camp focused and ready to work and ready to get the younger guys better. We're going to help the defense with the new adjustment they have to get ready for as well."

With no contract concerns hovering over the start of a new season, Chase is singularly focused on one thing.

Bringing that elusive Super Bowl title to Cincinnati.