The debate of who the best player in the NFL is remains long-spanning and never ending with every passing season. Everyone has their pick for the top guy in the league, even when it comes to players suiting up in the league themselves.
The latest to chime in on the conversation is New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who provided an interesting take for his pick on the matter –– opting for Cincinnati Bengals‘ wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as his pick for the best football player during an interview on the Frat Rules Podcast.
“Ja’Marr’s the best football player,” Gonzalez said. “I’d say he’s the best football player because the way they use him –– he’s not out there just like running routes. They don’t line him up at the X and say, ‘Oh, run a dig route.’ I mean, they do occasionally. But what he do, they move him around. They give him screens, they put him in the backfield… They use him a lot ‘cause he’s good with the ball in his hands, so they just wanna get him the ball and let him go to work.”
And it’s not just Chase’s versatility that stands out to Gonzalez –– he has the size and speed to elevate himself as well.
“I mean, Ja’Marr Chase big too,” Gonzalez continued. “Ja’Marr Chase like a running back. So like, when he gets the ball in his hands, it’s like a little Derrick Henry… He fast though, and quick… Ja’Marr Chase obviously can run routes, he’s an NFL receiver. But, he’s a football player.”
Chase is coming off his best season yet in the NFL with his triple crown win in 2024, leading the league with 127 catches, 1,708 reception yards, and 17 touchdowns.
The Bengals receiver also matched up with Gonzalez during the Patriots’ first contest of the season vs. Cincinnati, and New England also got the best of him too –– as they took home a 16-10 win and limited Chase to his fifth-lowest yards mark on the season with 62 and six catches to pair with it.
Yet, Chase made sure to make his presence known throughout the 2024 season past that Patriots face-off, and now has a solid case to be one of the best in the league.
You have your usual quarterback candidates in the mix, some other playmakers like Saquon Barkley, or even some defensive candidates like Myles Garrett or T.J. Watt, but the Bengals receiver is firmly in that conversation for the foreseeable future and has the stamp of approval from the Patriots‘ own.
