The Cincinnati Bengals just don't seem to be on the same page in any capacity these days. Does that also extend to Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase?
Sure, their connection on the field is intact and always will be. When you really think about it, though, Burrow has spent quite a bit of time away from the team in recent years rehabbing major injuries, leaving Chase to fend for himself whilst catching balls from Jake Browning and Joe Flacco.
From the sounds of it, Chase isn't super dialed in on his close friend Burrow's feelings, and expressed surprise about Joey B's viral comments from earlier this week where he questioned how fun football was for him.
In the wake of Sunday's 24-0 loss to the Ravens at home, it sounds like Chase is reevaluating his relationship with Burrow — and it speaks to a bigger divide within the Bengals.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase compelled to check in on Joe Burrow more often amid career low point
Chase faced the media in the locker room, and implied there was room to increase his interaction with the man who's thrown him the football since they won a natty together at LSU:
“If I’m being honest, I’ve never been in a situation with him where I’ve had to uplift him, but going forward I might need to because he does it for me. You never know what he might be going through. I might need to start doing that.” Ja’Marr Chase on Joe Burrow pic.twitter.com/RDwsnlx28m
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 14, 2025
It just comes across like Chase is in his own world, and he lets Burrow do his thing. I've heard them both say over the years that they have an unspoken connection. Not many words need to be exchanged to get ideas across.
Yeah. Maybe time to change that approach. Not to, like, armchair psychoanalyze a male friendship I have zero direct knowledge about, but you'd hope Chase checks in on Burrow more going forward.
It's not really about that. It's about the strange leadership issues Cincinnati has had en route to three straight misses at the playoffs.
These are the franchise's two best players, but it doesn't strike me that either of them would be very vocal in the locker room, never mind together. Not that you want to force a player into a brand of leadership that doesn't suit their personalities, but we've never heard stories of Burrow or Chase, in tandem or separately, get fired up in the locker room after a loss, or inspire teammates with some fiery speeches before kickoff.
That's fine if Burrow nor Chase want to do that. The "deeper divide" I'm referring to is, taking into account Chase's latest remarks, and the rudderless Week 15 effort versus Baltimore, it feels like the leadership on this team is fractured. There isn't a unified front.
Zac Taylor is riding Burrow's coattails. Chase is arguably the best receiver on the planet, so he'll never be individually blamed for any loss. Burrow has had to gut out multiple lengthy rehabs, in relative isolation, just to be on the field throughout his NFL career. That decreased presence around the team inevitably has other Bengals players looking left and right for leaders to step up. Few if any have.
Maybe if Burrow and Chase can spend some more time together this offseason, and we get a healthy Joe Brrr for 2026 — plus, maybe a new coaching staff!? — then Cincinnati won't feel like such a directionless football operation. For now, though, Chase's comments are a microcosm of the overall disconnect amongst key organizational leaders that are keeping this franchise stuck in the mud.