Ja'Marr Chase expects the NFL to see its first 2,000-yard receiving season by a wide receiver within the next three years.
Considering the Bengals star is the reigning triple crown winner with 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns on 127 receptions last season, plus the league's highest-paid wideout by a wide margin, Chase has every expectation that he'll be the one to do it -- if it's not his former LSU teammate.
"Me and Justin (Jefferson), of course," Chase told CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin this week when asked about the most likely wideouts to finally eclipse 2,000 yards.
Though Chase enjoyed the best season of any wide receiver in 2024, his buddy Jefferson has actually come closer to cracking the elusive 2,000-yard receiving mark.
Chase's 1,708 receiving yards ranks 14th for a single season all time, while Jefferson's 1,809 yards in 2022 ranks sixth. Former Lion Calvin Johnson holds the single-season record, coming up 36 yards short of 2K during the 2012 campaign with 1,964 receiving yards.
The Seahawks' Cooper Kupp is the only other WR to ever hit 1,900-plus yards -- he totaled 1,947 in 2021, the most recent triple crown season prior to Chase's -- while other active players with top-10 single-season receiving totals include Tyreek Hill (1,799 in 2023) and CeeDee Lamb (1,749 in 2023).
There are certainly individuals capable, plus competition to foster such a record-setting season.
Chase perhaps is in the best situation to make it happen of all those listed above, firmly in his prime and sporting a mind meld with one of league's best quarterbacks, Joe Burrow.
While such an accolade would be nice, however, the four-time Pro Bowler would likely trade being the first to reach the milestone for a turnaround in Cincinnati.
The Bengals have now missed the playoffs two straight seasons after consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game that included a Super Bowl berth. Despite boasting the NFL's top passing offense in 2024, they went 9-8, unable to win consistently until the last month of the season due to a feeble defense that ranked 25th in points allowed. Half of the team's losses impossibly came while scoring 33 or more points.
Chase is fully aware that if the Bengals offense can keep up such a pace in the season ahead, anything is possible provided even marginal improvement by the D.
"The defense is gonna have to step up ... and make some stops," Chase said. "That's all we ask them to do."
The Bengals brought on Al Golden as defensive coordinator to spark the change necessary to hopefully return to the playoffs, while the key pieces on their explosive offense are safely locked into long-term contracts.
With any luck, the two sides of the ball will start developing a more synergistic approach to winning when training camp opens for veterans on July 22 -- and maybe Chase can lay the groundwork for a never-before-seen receiving season while they're at it.