“Don’t Make Justin Jefferson Jealous”: Kay Adams Tells Justin Reid For Giving a Lot of Credit to Ja’Marr Chase

The Cincinnati Bengals are the only AFC team to beat Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs since 2019. In fact, Joe Burrow and Co. beat Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs three consecutive times in the 2022 calendar year. That stretch of time – outside of regular season contests against the Buffalo Bills – is the only period where it felt like the Chiefs, and Mahomes, had a true rival.

Naturally, the intensity of their matchups occasionally resulted in tensions boiling over. This was especially true between Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Kansas City safety Justin Reid. The two competitors have engaged in serious trash talk over the years. Their most notable confrontation came in Nov. 2022, when they traded barbs in press conferences and on social media.

Chase is still with the Bengals and is now the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. But Reid is no longer employed by the Chiefs. He recently signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. Because of his move, he’s on the prowl for a new rival to get his competitive juices flowing.

On Monday’s episode of Up & Adams, host Kay Adams asked Reid who his “new Ja’Marr” would be. Reid informed Adams that there’s no replacement for the 2024 Triple Crown-winning wideout.

“There’s only one Ja’Marr… [in terms of] the fierceness of like how much I want to crush him.” – Justin Reid

Adams quickly quipped back after the first half of Reid’s statement. She said he should be careful not to aggravate the NFC’s tremendous receivers, most notably Chase’s former college teammate: Justin Jefferson.

“Don’t make Justin Jefferson jealous here, I feel like you’re giving a lot of credit to Ja’Marr.” – Kay Adams

Jefferson and Chase played at LSU alongside Joe Burrow. Together, they won the 2019 College Football Championship and posted potentially the most dominant season in the sport’s history. Jefferson entered the league one year prior to Chase, but their production through four seasons is eerily similar.

Despite Jefferson’s presence in the NFC, Reid is looking closer to home for a new sparring buddy. He told Adams he thought Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans would be a worthy opponent.

Fortunately for him, Evans may be willing to tango. He and former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore shared a fierce rivalry for years before Lattimore was traded to the Washington Commanders last season.

Evans and Reid deciding to dance could be fun for the NFL. However, they’d merely be one another’s rebound partners with fabricated hatred. The disgust that exists between Evans and Lattimore, and Chase and Reid, is all natural. And for that – as Reid said – there’s no replacement.