"Going to break every receiving record they got" - When Ja'Marr Chase revealed his goals after getting drafted by Bengals
When Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was drafted as the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, expectations were that he would be one of the starting three wideouts replacing A.J. Green. The former Bengals wideout had been one of the cornerstones of the Cincinnati offense but saw a decline in performance before moving to the Cardinals in 2021.
However, Chase was up for the task as he made it clear that his goal was to be the best. With the Bengals, he had to be better than Green, but Chase sounded confident about breaking every record possible.
During a backstage interview in Cleveland at the 2021 NFL draft, Chase said:
“I'm going to break every receiving record they got at the Bengals. I'm telling you right now," Chase said. "I'm gonna break every record they have. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but it's gonna get done.”
Chase had two tough competitors ahead of him: A.J. Green and Chad Johnson. While Johnson holds the franchise record for most receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783), and receiving touchdowns (66), Green isn’t far behind with 9,430 receiving yards, 65 TDs and 649 receptions. However, both Green and Johnson played nearly 10 years for the Bengals.
In comparison, Chase had an equally impressive start when he recorded 1,455 yards from 81 receptions for 13 TDs. The numbers helped him win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, a goal he had set at the start: 10 TDs with 1,500 receiving yards.
However, in 2024, Burrow and Chase repeated their performance from 2019 at LSU, as Chase recorded 1,708 yards from 127 receptions for 17 TDs. Chase also led the NFL in the three major statistical categories.
Ja'Marr Chase bags the highest deal in the NFL
The numbers indicate that it won’t be long before Ja'Marr Chase achieves his dream and surpasses every receiver in Bengals history. Moreover, his early years suggest that he may eventually surpass many of the league’s most well-known wide receivers.
He is already leading the charts as the highest-paid non-QB player. Chase signed a $161 million four-year contract with the Bengals in March, with a guaranteed sum of $112 million and an APY of $40.25 million.