Ja’Marr Chase Stands by Bengals Leadership Despite Another Lost Season
At 4-10, the Cincinnati Bengals are staring down the barrel of another disappointing season - their third straight without a playoff appearance. And yet, despite the mounting frustration across the fanbase, it looks like the franchise is planning to stay the course. Head coach Zac Taylor and personnel chief Duke Tobin appear poised to return in 2026, with ownership showing no signs of shaking up the current power structure.
That’s not exactly the news Bengals fans were hoping for, especially given the prime years of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase that have now come and gone without postseason football. But here’s the twist: the team’s two biggest stars aren’t just tolerating the current leadership - they’re backing it.
Burrow has consistently voiced his support for Taylor and the front office, even through two injury-riddled seasons. And now, Chase is echoing that sentiment, making it clear that the bond between players and leadership in Cincinnati still runs deep.
Chase: “I feel great about them”
Speaking to reporters this week, Chase didn’t mince words when asked how he feels about the Bengals’ coaching staff and front office.
“I feel great about them... I’ve got a great bond with the staff,” Chase said.
“They’ve shown love since we got here as rookies. Over time you keep building on a relationship, and they still have one.”
That kind of endorsement from a star wide receiver - especially during a season that’s gone off the rails - says a lot. It’s not just lip service.
Chase has been through the highs and lows in Cincinnati, from a Super Bowl appearance in his rookie year to the current three-year playoff drought. And yet, his trust in the people running the show hasn’t wavered - at least not publicly.
Drafted Together, Bonded for Life?
There’s something to be said for the kind of loyalty that comes from being drafted by a franchise. The Bengals took Burrow No. 1 overall in 2020, then reunited him with his LSU running mate by selecting Chase fifth overall in 2021. That duo instantly lit up the league, leading Cincinnati to a Super Bowl in their first season together and an AFC Championship Game the next.
It was a dream start - and the Bengals rewarded both players with massive second contracts. But since that magical run, the dream has turned into a grind. Burrow’s dealt with two serious injuries in three years, while Chase has continued to produce at a Pro Bowl level, only to watch January football from the couch.
Chase has done everything you could ask of a franchise receiver - back-to-back 100-catch seasons, elite production, consistency despite instability at quarterback. But even he can’t carry a team on his own. And while the Burrow-Chase connection remains one of the league’s most dangerous duos, it hasn’t been enough to overcome the Bengals’ shortcomings elsewhere - particularly on defense and in depth.
Quiet Leaders, Loud Expectations
Part of the challenge in Cincinnati is that both Burrow and Chase are lead-by-example types. They’re not the rah-rah locker room voices, but rather players who let their work speak for itself.
That works when the team is winning. When it’s not, the silence can be deafening.
Still, both stars have made it clear they want to see progress - and soon. While they’ve stopped short of calling for changes at the top, there’s an underlying urgency in how they talk about the future.
They’re not just here to collect checks and rack up stats. They want to win.
And they know they don’t have forever.
Can “Running It Back” Actually Work?
That’s the big question for Cincinnati heading into the offseason: What’s going to change?
If Taylor and Tobin remain in place, and the Bengals essentially run it back with the same leadership group, how can fans expect a different result? Burrow and Chase are still in their prime, but the window doesn’t stay open forever - especially in the AFC, where the quarterback competition is fierce and the margin for error is razor-thin.
There’s no denying what Taylor and Tobin accomplished during the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl. But the NFL is a “what have you done lately” league. And lately, Cincinnati has been stuck in neutral.
If the losses keep coming over the final weeks of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Chase get a little more candid about what needs to change. For now, though, he’s standing by the people in charge - even if the results haven’t followed.
The Clock Is Ticking
The Bengals have one of the league’s best quarterback-receiver tandems, and they’re under contract for the foreseeable future. That’s the good news.
The bad news? Wasting years like this one - where Chase is producing at an elite level and Burrow, when healthy, is still a top-tier QB - is not a sustainable path.
There’s still time to right the ship. But it’s going to take more than loyalty and belief in the building.
It’s going to take results. And if 2026 starts to look like 2025, the calls for change won’t just come from fans - they may start coming from inside the locker room, too.