What Ja'Marr Chase has learned amid Bengals' playoff drought

Shortly after it was confirmed that the Cincinnati Bengals would miss the playoffs for the third time in three years under head coach Zac Taylor, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase made it known that things had to change for the AFC North franchise. 

During a recent chat with Russell Heltman of Sports Illustrated, Chase spoke about what he has learned during Cincinnati's ongoing postseason drought.

What has been "the biggest thing" for Ja'Marr Chase amid playoff drought?

"It's really just a commitment thing, man, at the end of the day," Chase explained. "Just gotta commit to yourself playing your part at the end of the day and being there for your teammates. And that was the biggest thing going through these last two years for me."

Chase's commitment to the Bengals beyond this past season can't be questioned, as he agreed to a four-year, $161M contract with $112M guaranteed last offseason. As for Taylor, he and Bengals director of player personnel/de facto general manager Duke Tobin remained in their roles even though Cincinnati finished the 2025 campaign with a record of 6-11. In fairness to Taylor and Tobin, Burrow missed nine games this season after a toe injury that he suffered in Week 2 left him needing surgery. 

How Ja'Marr Chase plans to spend offseason after frustrating campaign for Bengals

ESPN stats show that Chase finished the 2025 regular season ranked third in the NFL with 125 receptions, fourth with 1,412 receiving yards and tied for 11th with eight receiving touchdowns. It sounds like he's already back in the lab and working to improve ahead of the 2026 campaign. 

"I try to change it up a little bit," Chase said about his offseason training. "Work on new things, new cons that I have, and always fix the pros that I have before the season starts. So it always should be something new. I feel like I should work on every offseason. ... I got a good trainer. So a lot of my work comes from my trainer. I tell him what I want to work on. He sets me up in the right direction with whom I want to meet, talk to, sit down watch film with. He definitely helps me with that too."