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Ja'Marr Chase's was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals very early on in the 2021 NFL Draft. After selecting Joe Burrow first overall and watching him tear his ACL and go 4-11-1, the Bengals didn't inspire hope. Chase's father was less than thrilled with the selection at the time.
Popular sports commentator (who is far less popular in Cincinnati) Craig Carton brought that fact up when he claimed that the Bengals would never win a title:
"It's my point to everybody in Cincinnati, you're nice people... I keep it real sorry, you're not winning a Super Bowl anytime soon. You're just one of the three that I wouldn't say that we'll never win a Super Bowl… and your best player’s father also didn't want any part in Cincinnati."
To the Bengals' credit, they feel like a team very close to winning a Super Bowl. They played and narrowly lost one in Chase's rookie season. The following year, they lost in the AFC Championship Game.
They have loads of talent, from Chase to Burrow and more. It's hard to win a Super Bowl, especially while playing in the same conference as Patrick Mahomes.
For many reasons, Carton doesn't believe the Bengals will ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
What did Ja'Marr Chase's father say?
Ja'Marr Chase's father recently admitted, on a podcast with Joe Burrow no less, that he did not want his son to play for the Cincinnati Bengals. He said, via Cleveland.com:
“I was like, ‘I don’t know anything about Cincinnati and they’re not that good right now. So, why don’t we just go to South Beach, right?’ I could just go sit on the beach and watch Ja’Marr on the team, right?”
He continued:
“A week before the draft, Ja’Marr said, ‘Dad, Joe texted me.’ And, I’m like, ‘OK.' Ja’Marr is really even-keeled. When he texted him, he didn’t say what Joe texted him, just that Joe texted him. So he had talked to Joe and texted him once or twice that week. I said, ‘I like Joe and everything, but, Cincinnati, Ja’Marr? I don’t know about all that.'"
Given how well the Bengals did, and specifically the Ja'Marr Chase/Joe Burrow connection, that first season, his fears were quickly assuaged.
