Ja'Marr Chase Had Funny Exchange With Joe Burrow After Earning Highest Madden Rating

Ja'Marr Chase was one of seven players to earn a 99 rating in Madden 26.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) and quarterback Joe Burrow (9) talk during a timeout.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) and quarterback Joe Burrow (9) talk during a timeout. / Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Ja'Marr Chase joined one of the most exclusive clubs on Monday—the Madden 99 club. Chase, along with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Lane Johnson, Saquon Barkley, Myles Garrett, and Justin Jefferson, were the seven players given the highest rating in the Madden 26 edition of the classic video game.

Chase earned a 99 rating for the first time after winning the triple crown last season by leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and receiving touchdowns (17).

After finding out about his new rating, Chase called over his quarterback, Joe Burrow, in the locker room to show off his new silver "99" chain.

Though Burrow led the league in passing yards and touchdowns, he was not given a 99 rating in the game this year. Chase appeared to have some fun teasing Burrow over this, telling him, "I beat you."

Burrow, notably sporting a T-shirt featuring a cat in a taco that read "Tacocat spelled backwards is tacocat," coyly replied to Chase, "Nice. Cool man," as the duo began laughing.

Chase and Burrow exchanged a fist bump, and Burrow walked away while Chase continued laughing into his locker.


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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.