Stephen A. Smith Gives HUGE Praise To Ja’Marr Chase
Credit: Sam Greene via Imagn Images
Over the last several years, Ja’Marr Chase has made his skillset known to the NFL world. He is unquestionably one of the best players in the NFL, and Stephen A. Smith gave Chase about as high of praise as a modern-day NFL player could receive.
“Look at his body, look at his speed, his ball catching ability, look at how he runs away from… I mean, this brother is spectacular,” Stephen A. said. “He, to me, has a chance to be one of the top three receivers in NFL history when all is said and done. We are talking about Jerry Rice. We are talking about Randy Moss. We are talking about T.O., Terrell Owens. You tell me definitively. Can you look at Ja’Marr Chase with his talent and say that he doesn’t have a chance to be one of the top three receivers in the history of this sport?”
It’s undeniable at this point. After coming off a historic Triple Crown season, Chase became the first non-quarterback on offense in the NFL to receive a contract worth over $40 million annually. It’s a much deserved and long awaited contract extension, and it will keep Chase in Cincinnati through the majority of his prime.
He’s demonstrated elite YAC ability, blazing speed, an unmatched chemistry with Joe Burrow, and the wherewithal to look out for his WR2 in Tee Higgins. The fact that the two will stay together will ensure that defenses can’t just gameplan to stop Chase and Chase alone will make life easier for the standout LSU receiver and significantly harder for defenses.
Though Ja’Marr Chase has a lot of production left to make before he reaches the level of Jerry Rice (who, mind you, had a 92/1,211/7 stat line in his age forty season), he has been every bit of the receiver the Bengals thought they were gonna get when they drafted him. The extension he received shows that he is only getting started, and the amount of potential the trio has is through the roof. Chase, in particular, is on a Hall of Fame trajectory after leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2024. He has exactly as many touchdowns since November 7th (10) as Kyle Pitts, who was drafted one spot ahead of him, has in his entire career. Chase’s resume will continue to pile on through the back half of the 2020s, and if a ring (screw it, why not multiple) gets added to his trophy case, he will cement himself as one of the all-time greats, just like Stephen A. said.
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