Ja'Marr Chase Says Bengals 'See That We've Got a Chance' By Making Joe Flacco Trade

The Cincinnati Bengals' hopes of making the playoffs dwindled significantly when star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered an injury that is likely to keep him out for most of the year, but Ja'Marr Chase still has faith, and he believes the front office does too.

The star wide receiver said that by making the trade for quarterback Joe Flacco, the Bengals' front office is showing its confidence in the team even without Burrow.

"They just see that we've got a chance," Chase said, per ESPN's Ben Baby. "Defense is doing a good enough job to help us out. Our playmakers gotta make plays in space. That's what they see. That's what they want -- is to keep going. They're just giving us an opportunity to make more of those plays happen."

On Tuesday, the Bengals traded a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in return for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. While Flacco isn't an MVP-caliber player like Burrow, he's experienced and has taken teams to the playoffs that maybe shouldn't have been there—like the Browns in 2023.

Flacco will make his first start on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, where he and the Bengals will try to turn things around after a 2-3 start.

Luckily for Flacco, his job is made easier by having one of the best wide receivers in the league to throw to with Chase.