Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase wanted to call the Browns the Elves because of their midfield logo
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is tired of hearing about the Cleveland Elves… er, Browns. That’s what he nearly named the Bengals’ Week 1 opponent when asked about the game.
“It’s a normal game for me,” Chase said Thursday. “It doesn’t feel any different. It’s the hooting and hollering about the Cleveland, er, Browns. I was about to call them the elves. … If you ask me, I don’t really pay attention to it because Cleveland is Cleveland.”
Chase, of course, is referring to the Browns’ strange image of an angry-looking elf at center field – a logo the team unveiled in 2022 that was a throwback an older logo from the 1960s. The Bengals added that the elf was “fun” and “different.”
The Bengals are 1-3 against the Bengals since Chase joined the team with the No. 5 pick in 2021 and 2-5 since quarterback Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020. But Chase has had personal statistical success in his three career games against Cleveland: 18 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown.
Regardless of the history between the two AFC North rivals, this matchup will set the tone for both teams in Week 1. The Bengals are focused on a return to the Super Bowl two seasons after their improbable rise and just gave Burrow an NFL-record $275 million contract. The Browns, meanwhile, are hoping for a positive return on their $230 million investment in quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Chase doesn’t seem too worried about the opponent, but he does seem to have the logo in midfield on his mind.
