The bromance is real and has been brewing for years now.
The Cincinnati Bengals did themselves a huge favor in the 2021 NFL Draft by going out and getting quarterback Joe Burrow‘s LSU friend and teammate Ja’Marr Chase.
Comeback Player of the Year: @JoeyB
Offensive Rookie of the Year: @Real10jayy__
Name a better duo. @Bengals 🤝 @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/VYhfWEjz2Z
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 11, 2022
After the draft, Chase went to great lengths to live near his buddy Burrow in Cincinnati.
He went so far as to knock on doors on Burrow’s street and offer to buy residents’ homes.
His plan worked.
Their closeness is obvious on the field.
13 of Burrow’s 34 touchdown passes in 2021 were caught by Chase.
No Bengals rookie has ever caught more touchdowns than Chase.
Chase, fresh off of earning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award at Thursday’s NFL Honors telecast, recently reflected on his relationship with Burrow, the Comeback Player of the Year.
What Chase Said
Chase obviously trusts Burrow’s instincts after spending years together on the football field.
“I do whatever [Burrow] tells me to do. He’s like a god to me.”
Recipe For Success
Clearly, Chase is on the right track.
I like the NFL's "New Math" — Cincy style. 9 + 1 = 6.
Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase. Touchdown. It's critical for Chase to maintain his poise vs. trash-talking Jalen Ramsey in SB LVI. I trust Ja'Marr to keep his cool. Like Joe Cool.— Chick Ludwig (@ChickLudwig) February 3, 2022
He and Burrow are on the brink of following up their 2020 National Championship with LSU with a Super Bowl Championship in just two years and one month’s time.
Throwback to when @JoeyB and @Real10jayy__ were lighting up the scoreboard for @LSUFootball 🔥🐅 pic.twitter.com/VVM77gLfg4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 10, 2022
They are fun to watch both on the field and off.
And it is a family affair.
Burrow and Chase’s dads were spotted smoking cigars together after the Bengals won the AFC Championship.
That puts a new twist on the saying “like sons, like fathers”.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase smoking cigars.
Jimmy Chase and Jimmy Burrow smoking cigars.
Wild. pic.twitter.com/1BPGtYNpLc
— Jake Marsh (@PMTsportsbiz) January 31, 2022
Conclusion
No matter what happens in Super Bowl 56, the Bengals have cemented their spot as a gatekeeper to the AFC Championship for years to come.
They are young, quick, and eager to bring a Super Bowl championship back to a long-suffering city that has never experienced one.
The question is not if it will happen; it is when it will because Burrow and Chase are just getting started.
NEXT: Odds Show How Surprising The Bengals Truly Are