While he was smiling, there was a sense of seriousness to Justin Jefferson when told of Ja’Marr Chase’s recent comments that he stole Chase’s moves once he entered the NFL in 2020. While the comments could be seen as fire starters, Chase and Jefferson have a close bond that included their time as teammates at LSU. Together with Joe Burrow, the duo helped the Tigers capture a national championship in 2019 before enjoying successful starts in Minnesota and Cincinnati.
While close, there is undeniable a friendly rivalry between the two as they both look to supplant Rams wideout Cooper Kupp as the NFL’s premier receiver. Jefferson, during an appearance on the “All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson & Bryant McFadden” podcast, explained why Chase’s comments missed the mark.
“Ja’Marr knows I didn’t steal any moves from him,” he said. “You can look at the film, we don’t play alike. He’s more of a physical, deep threat type of receiver. I’m more shifty, but I can do both. I’m more versatile. I can play in the slot, I can go outside, I can do whatever you want.
“I don’t think our game is similar at all. But I mean, if he feels that I stole his moves from him, I’m going to let him keep thinking that.”
This isn’t the first time (far from it) that star receivers have publicly bantered for the title of the league’s best wide receiver. At the later portion of the previous decade, Brandon Marshall and Antonio Brown famously bets cars over which one would put up better numbers during the ensuing season (Brown won, which led to Marshall donating the value of his Porsche to a charity).
While no cars have been on the table yet, don’t be surprised if Chase and Jefferson raise the stakes at some point during their friendly rivalry.
