Ja'Marr Chase
Ja'Marr Anthony Chase (born March 1, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, where he won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as a sophomore. Selected fifth overall by the Bengals in the 2021 NFL Draft, Chase immediately made an impact by setting the rookie and franchise records for single-year and single-game receiving yards. Chase won Offensive Rookie of the Year en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI, the franchise's first  Super Bowl appearance since 1988. Early years. Chase attended Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, Louisiana, located in suburban New Orleans. During his career, he had 115 receptions for 2,152 yards and 30 touchdowns. After initially committing to the University of Kansas, Chase committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football. College career. As a true freshman at LSU in 2018, Chase played in all 14 games and made eight starts. He finished the season with 23 receptions for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Chase returned as a starter in 2019, and that year led the FBS in  receiving yards with 1,780 yards on 84 catches (21.2 avg) and 20 receiving touchdowns. His 20 receiving touchdowns set a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record until it was broken by DeVonta Smith the following year. Six times he eclipsed the 100-yard mark and an additional three times he eclipsed 200 receiving yards in a game mark, including a College Football Playoff championship game record 221 yards against Clemson. LSU finished the year undefeated and won the College Football Playoff National Championship. At the end of the regular season, Chase was awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in  college football. He was also named a unanimous All-American. A month before the start of the 2020 season, Chase announced that he was opting out to concentrate on his NFL career. His decision was reportedly not specifically due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, but rather due to agents having convinced him to sit out his third collegiate season so to not get injured. Chase was assured he would be a top draft pick before the season started. NFL rules state a player can not be drafted until three years after leaving high school. Professional career. Chase was  drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals fifth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, reuniting him with his college quarterback Joe Burrow. He became the first player in franchise history to wear the number 1, which was his number in college. Chase signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $30.8 million, on June 2, 2021. 2021. Chase played his first career regular season game on September 12, 2021, against the Minnesota Vikings, finishing with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Bengals won 27–24 in overtime. Chase caught an additional three touchdown passes over his next two games, making him  the youngest player in NFL history to catch four touchdown passes in his first three career games. Chase was named the NFL Rookie of the Month for September after totaling 220 receiving yards and four touchdowns through his first three games. During the Bengals 25–22 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers, Chase had 159 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown at the end of the first half, earning him another Rookie of the Week award. During Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens, Chase finished with 201 receiving yards, including an 82-yard touchdown in the Bengals 41–17 win, earning  him his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. His 754 receiving yards set an NFL record for the most receiving yards ever by a player in their first seven career games. On December 22, Chase was announced as a selection for the 2022 Pro Bowl. In Week 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Chase totaled 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns during the Bengals' 34–31 division clinching win. He was named AFC offensive player of the week, his second of the season. Chase's 266 yards not only set a Bengals franchise record for receiving yards, but it  also set an NFL record for most receiving yards in a game by a rookie. In Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns, Chase caught two passes for 26 yards before leaving the game, surpassing the Bengals franchise record set by Chad Johnson for most receiving yards in a single season. Overall, Chase finished his rookie regular season with 81 receptions for 1,455 yards (4th in the NFL) and 13 receiving touchdowns (3rd). In the against the Las Vegas Raiders, Chase had nine receptions for 116 receiving yards and three carries for 23 yards, helping the Bengals win their first playoff  game since the 1990 season. In the against the Tennessee Titans, Chase recorded five receptions for 109 receiving yards, making him the youngest player in NFL history to record multiple 100 yard receiving games in a single postseason. In the , Chase caught 6 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in the 27–24 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs, helping the Bengals advance to Super Bowl LVI, their first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl XXIII in 1988. In the Super Bowl, Chase caught 5 passes for 89 yards, but lost 23–20. Chase's 368 postseason receiving yards set  a rookie record, breaking the previous record of 242 set by Torry Holt in the 1999 season.