Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase made an interesting comment during an interview at the Pro Bowl that hinted at some of the problems around the team this past season.
While the interview hit the glitzy stuff like whether his contract extension will surpass Justin Jefferson’s numbers, he also fielded a question about the team’s slow start.
“I don’t think we were ready to get into the season when we got into the season if I’m being honest,” Chase told SiriusXM NFL Radio.” “But we locked in when it was time to. But it wasn’t early enough.”
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While it isn’t the wildest quote ever, it will annoy Bengals fans. Slow starts have plagued Zac Taylor’s time in Cincinnati, and while the head coach has admitted that fixing those issues is a priority this offseason, that doesn’t lessen the sting.
Also stinging? The fact Chase himself wasn’t necessarily up to speed for the start of the season. He had the “hold-in” over his contract all summer and wasn’t necessarily a lock to play in that Week 1 loss to New England.
Granted, Chase went on to have a Triple Crown season, so much of the frustration should be aimed at the Bengals’ front office for failing to get his extension done.
Either way, there is lots of blame to go around, and the Bengals simply cannot have star players needing to say things like this again one year from now.
