If you’ve spent any time scrolling through sports subreddits or listening to local Cincy radio lately, you’ve heard the noise. People are worried. They’re looking at a 7-10 finish for the 2025 season and wondering if the window has slammed shut on the Queen City.
It hasn't. Not even close.
Honestly, the "doomsday" narrative surrounding Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals is mostly just a side effect of high expectations. When you have a guy who literally just won the Triple Crown a year ago, anything less than a deep January run feels like a disaster. But if you look at the actual numbers—and the massive check the front office just cut—it’s clear that "Uno" isn't going anywhere and the connection with Joe Burrow is as lethal as ever.
The $161 Million Statement
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the contract. In March 2025, the Bengals finally did what everyone knew they had to do. They locked up Ja'Marr Chase with a four-year, $161 million extension.
That’s $40.25 million a year.
It’s a staggering amount of money, but it basically confirms that the Bengals are willing to break their historical "frugal" reputation to keep their core together. People love to meme about Mike Brown’s wallet, but you don't drop $74 million in full guarantees at signing if you aren't all-in.
Chase is under contract through 2029 now. By the time that deal is up, he’ll be 29 years old—right in the tail end of his physical prime.
The structure is interesting, too. His cap hit for 2026 is sitting around $26.2 million. It’s manageable. It gives the front office just enough breathing room to maybe, finally, fix the interior pass rush or find a permanent solution at guard while Tee Higgins is still in the mix. Speaking of Tee, keeping both of them was the real "magic trick" of the 2025 offseason, even if the win-loss column didn't immediately reflect it.
Why the 2025 Stats are Deceptive
If you just glance at the box scores, you might think Ja'Marr had a "down" year. He finished the 2025 regular season with 125 receptions for 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Wait. 1,412 yards is a "down" year?
That’s the standard he’s set. Because he had 17 touchdowns in 2024, people see 8 and think he lost a step. He didn't. Defenses just started treating him like he was a glitch in the Matrix. We saw triple-teams. We saw "box-and-one" concepts that you usually only see in high school basketball.
Even with the extra attention, he still averaged 11.3 yards per catch.
There was a game against the Steelers in October where he hauled in 16 passes. Sixteen! That’s a franchise record. He was basically the entire offensive game plan that day because the running game couldn't get a yard. When you’re the focal point of every defensive coordinator’s nightmare, your "down" years are still better than 95% of the league’s "career" years.
The Joe Burrow Chemistry Factor
There was a lot of talk in December about Joe Burrow’s "body language." People were reaching. They saw Joe looking frustrated on the sidelines and assumed there was a rift.
Chase shut that down pretty quickly in a December presser.
He basically told everyone to relax. He and Joe have this weird, almost silent way of communicating that goes back to their LSU days. They don't need to have a heart-to-heart on the bench to be on the same page. In that blowout win against the Cardinals late in the season, Burrow was hitting Chase on back-shoulder fades before Ja'Marr even turned his head. That’s not something you lose because of a few tough losses.
The reality is that the Bengals' 2025 struggles weren't on the stars. It was the stuff around them. The defense took a massive step back, and the offensive line, while better, still had those "turnstile" moments in big spots.
The Milestone Tracker
If you're a stats nerd, what Ja'Marr is doing is actually historical.
- He’s one of only six players to start a career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
- He already holds the Bengals' postseason records for catches and yards.
- He’s currently second in NFL history for receiving yards per game, trailing only Justin Jefferson.
What's Next for the Bengals?
So, where do they go from here? The 2026 offseason is going to be about one thing: defensive depth. The offense is settled. You have Burrow, you have Chase, and you have a rising star in running back Chase Brown, who caught 65 passes out of the backfield this year.
The Bengals are likely picking in the top 12 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
They need a game-wrecker on the edge. Trey Hendrickson has been a hero, but he needs help. If they can use that high pick on a defensive cornerstone and maybe snag a veteran guard in free agency, the 2026 version of this team looks scary.
👉 See also: Marcadores de la liga mexicana: Why they are becoming harder to predict than ever before
People forget how young this core is. Ja'Marr is only 25. Burrow is 29. The "window" isn't a year or two; it’s the next half-decade.
Stop looking at the 7-10 record as a sign of decay. Look at it as a fluke season where the defense couldn't get off the field. With a healthy Burrow and a motivated Chase—who now has the security of that massive contract—the AFC North is still very much up for grabs.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Watch the Draft: Keep an eye on the 10th-12th overall picks. The Bengals are in a prime position to snag a blue-chip defender that could change the math for their struggling secondary.
- Ignore the "Trade Tee" Rumors: Every year people say Higgins is gone. Every year the Bengals find a way. Until the paperwork is signed elsewhere, assume the "Big Three" stays intact.
- Fantasy Value: If you’re in a keeper league, Chase is still a top-3 asset. The touchdown regression in 2025 is a prime "buy low" opportunity before he inevitably spikes back into double digits in 2026.