Ja’Marr Chase respects Patrick Mahomes, but the rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs runs deep.

So deep, in fact, Chase said he’s “not saying his name” as part of the interview process for the NFL’s top 100 players for the 2024 campaign when discussing Mahomes.

“He’s good,” the wide receiver said. “He’s amazing. He’s good. Not gonna lie. I’m salty, though. I’m a little salty. Two years in a row. I’m putting [Joe] Burrow first.”

The rivalry between the Chiefs and the Bengals picked up plenty of steam during the 2021 season when Cincinnati shocked Mahomes and Co. during a three-point win in Week 17 before eliminating Kansas City in overtime in the AFC Championship Game.

That set the stage for the following season.

Cincinnati maintained its head-to-head momentum with a regular-season victory in 2022, but the Chiefs earned revenge with a three-point win in an AFC Championship Game rematch. Kansas City also defeated the Bengals in the regular season in 2023, which is surely why Chase is still a bit “salty” as he looks ahead to the upcoming campaign.

The rivalry has also featured plenty of trash talk, including Travis Kelce calling out the Cincinnati mayor and Chase previously saying, “Pat who?” in reference to Mahomes.

Mahomes turned that right around after winning a Super Bowl title:

Bragging rights now belong to the Chiefs, as they not only won the most recent head-to-head games but also captured three of the last five Lombardi Trophies. They enter the 2024 season as back-to-back champions and the gold standard of the league that everyone else will be compared to in their title pursuits.

If Burrow can remain healthy after he was limited to 10 games last season, the Bengals figure to be one of Kansas City’s top challengers in the AFC.

That should only add even more fuel to the rivalry.