Bengals five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase admits it's been "a crazy," season.
As he heads into Sunday's finale (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) against the Browns at Paycor Stadium, Chase executed a stop route and spoke with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson on a variety of topics, ranging from his growth as a leader to revealing if he reached this season's statistical goals.
And, does he think he's the best player in the league?
The Conversation
GH: How tough was it to still come up with top of the league numbers with three different quarterbacks?
JC: I think the biggest thing was just getting adjusted to being able to get the ball in transition from a new quarterback. One that knows the offense and another that just came in. It was a little different with those two, just because the timing with Jake (Browning) sometimes, and with Joe (Flacco), it would just be some of the plays. Sometimes, he might not know what routes or what concepts I'd be able to change. That was the toughest part this year.
GH: The numbers you put up weren't the Triple Crown numbers of last year, but they were still elite despite the trauma the offense went through.
JC: I made ends meet and made a couple of plays when I had opportunities.
GH: Was there anything that you think you did better than last year?
JC: It's hard to say. It's hard to say. My biggest thing is just more contested catches. That's my biggest thing. But I can't really say what was the biggest thing from this year to last year.
GH: Flacco comes in and the offense doesn't miss a bit. It not only says something about him, but it says something about you and Tee (Higgins), the system, and the coaches.
JC: Yeah, yeah. I mean the quarterback putting the
ball out there to give the receivers an opportunity to make a play was the biggest thing. I think that's what Flacco did best.
GH: Where do you think this offense sits going into 2026? It doesn't seem like you have to adjust very much.
JC: I feel like we have to find our real identity. We know what our identity is, but at the end of the day I feel we have to step into that role and embracing it and pursuing it on a regular (basis).
GH: What do you think that identity is?
JC: Everybody knows we're Air Raid. But I'm just talking about stacking and winning games. Not starting off slow like we usually do. Just playing good in the beginning of games instead of the end of the games. That's what we need to do.
GH: Do you have a favorite catch from this year?
JC: Probably one of Flacco's speed-out routes to the field. I want to say one of the Green Bay catches. A touchdown, actually, now that I'm thinking about it.
GH: That's with a guy you barely had any reps with.
JC: First practice, first everything that game.
GH: Zac (Taylor) said he figured that going into the Thursday night game against Pittsburgh, his second game, you had had five live reps with Flacco.
JC: I'm not sure we had that. I'm not even sure we had that for real because that week was so fast. I think we had a walkthrough that Tuesday on the field, and that was the only time we had anything.
GH: Then you had 16 catches with no practice with a guy. That doesn't make sense.
JC: Just feeding it to me. Just giving me opportunities.
GH: Do you think you're the best player in the league?
JC: If not the best, one of the best, of course.
GH: Who would the others be?
JC: I don't know. I don't rank anybody, but I know I'm for sure there.
GH: Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
JC: Not really. Not off the top of my head. Really more personal goals than anything.
GH: Anything you can talk about?
JC: No, not really.
GH: The most interesting thing about you this year was your progression as a leader. It seemed to go through a couple of different stages. When you became captain at the beginning of the year. Then when Joe (Burrow) went down. You had the incident where you were suspended, and you went through something there, too. It just seems to have been an interesting year that way.
JC: Yeah, it was. It was a lot overall. Just overall just a crazy season. Crazy season, crazy outcome, just crazy opportunities. I had crazy situations in general. But I think that's what makes me. That's what makes my character, what makes me who I am, how people look at me.
GH: Who are you?
JC: I'm Ja'Marr Chase. It's hard to say who I am. Everybody can paint their picture, but I'm not really here to paint a picture for them, you know?
GH: How have you changed as a leader since you first got the captain's C?
JC: Without leading by example all the time. I'm one of those guys that leads by just my play. But instead of leading by my play, you can lead vocally. I think that was the biggest thing once I got the captain role and embraced it finally. That was the biggest thing for me,
GH: When did you finally embrace it?
JC: Around the time Trey (Hendrickson) was going through his situations with his injuries, or right before his injuries, or something like that. Around that time.
GH: You felt like you needed somebody vocal?
JC: No. I mean, I had conversations with other players about situations. Myself and them included. I think it was just the perfect time for me to do that.
GH: So it wasn't when Joe went down, it was when Trey went down.
JC: It was when Joe went down, too. It forced me to have to talk when Joe went down. But the whole situation forced me to talk, period.
GH: Do you like doing it?
JC: I don't mind. I mean, I don't mind. At the end of day, I feel like it just gives me a better way to use my words on how I want to speak. I always talk all the time. To reporters and the public. To the team? No, not usually.
GH: You spoke to the team after one game, I can't remember which one.
JC: Vikings? Green Bay?
GH: That was a big moment for you, wasn't it? The first time you had talked in front of the team. (After the Sept. 29 Monday night loss in Denver.)
JC: That wasn't a big moment. Just the first time I did something like that.
GH: I guess you felt like you had to.
JC: No, emotions just got the best of me. I wanted to emotionally get it off my chest.
GH: Do you think it helped the team?
JC: I don't think so. That's why I don't talk. Right there. I'm not a speeching guy. I'm not the motivation-speech type of dude.
GH: Are you more one-on-one with guys?
JC: I'd rather listen than talk for real.
GH: I remember the week after you were suspended, you went over to Chase Brown's locker on, I think Wednesday, and told him how well he had played. Would you have done that if you weren't a captain?
JC: I probably would have. It all depends on the situation because I was suspended, too, that was the biggest thing.
GH: Did the suspension impact you in any way?
JC: No. not really. I was just bored. I had nothing to do for the first time during the season.
GH: You must have been pissed you missed a game.
JC: It did a little bit. Missed out on some opportunities. Some situations I wanted to see.
GH: Did it impact the way you comport yourself on the field?
JC: No, no, not, really. It didn't. I just didn't talk for two games, maybe.
GH: Didn't trash talk?
JC: Yeah, didn't talk for the first two games I got back.
GH: Why?
JC: There was a lot of attention on me during the whole time, especially when I got back. So I was just chilling.
GH: What are you going to do in the offseason?
JC: I don't know. It's an unwritten story right now. I'm always traveling.
GH: Anywhere this year?
JC: Maybe Greece. Maybe Africa. I'll ask my family and see what they want to do.
GH: Any idea how you want to improve your game at all during the offseason? Doesn't seem like you need to do much.
JC: It's hard to say, but not hard to say at the same time. I work on the same stuff every year. I'm just crafting it, making it better. Finding ways.
GH: What does this team have to do to get back to the Super Bowl?
JC: I think the biggest thing is just being disciplined in starting off well. That's the biggest thing.
GH: You started 2-0 this year.
JC: You need to win more than two games. We haven't got back to the playoffs the last three seasons. I'm sure there's ways we can improve, of course.
GH: Anything come to mind?
JC: No, not off the top of my head.
GH: You've been talking about you're happy here. You've got Tee next to you as a running mate and Burrow throwing you the ball.
JC: I'm fine. I'm in a good situation. It's a good combo. We feed off each other. Great energy, and we make plays together.
GH: What do you and Tee do off the field together?
JC: We like car shows. Go to parties together. Events. All of the above.
GH: What are you driving now?
JC: I've got a couple of cars.
GH: Have a favorite?
JC: I feel like all of my cars are my favorites.
GH: How many?
JC: Five.
GH: What kind are they?
JC: I'm not saying. Some foreigns, for sure. I have two race cars.
GH: Do you race them?
JC: No.
GH: Do you own a team or are you part of a team?
JC: That would be cool, but no.
GH: You've got 117 catches, 1,316 yards, and seven touchdowns going into the last game Sunday. Can you reveal what your goals were this year? You had said one was winning the Super Bowl.
JC: One of them was to get another 100 catches. Another was eight-plus touchdowns. I need another one this week.
GH: Did you have a goal for yards?
JC: Yeah, but I didn't get it.
GH: 1,500?
JC: Yeah. It's close. Try to get as close as I can. That's my goal.
