Ja'Marr Chase: I'm holding myself to a higher standard now

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's long push for a new contract ended in March when he signed a four-year extension with the Bengals that made him the leagu'e best-paid non-quarterback.

Chase set the stage for that pact by putting up 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns during the 2024 season and putting a bow on one of the most prolific four-year starts to a career in NFL history. Neither that production nor the new contract has Chase feeling like he can rest on his laurels in 2025.

Chase said that he has "a lot" of goals left, including the championships that have eluded him to this point in his career. In addition to that team success, Chase said he has eyes on getting "better at everything I can do," which means he has to raise the bar even higher than it was already set.

"There are expectations, the standard is high," Chase said, via the team's website. "Just have fun and play my game, but also know I'm holding myself to a higher standard now. Higher than whatever it was."

The Bengals will need more than Chase to reach the kind of collective success that the wideout has in mind, but even bigger things from him in 2025 won't hurt their chances of making it back to the postseason.