The budding AFC rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs is not going anywhere as long as star Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has something to say — or not say — about it.

Chase was asked recently in an NFL social media clip about the No. 1 player on the 2024 edition of the league’s Top 100 list, a title which unsurprisingly belongs to Patrick Mahomes after the star quarterback and two-time NFL MVP led the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl titles for the first time in 20 years.

“I’m not saying him,” Chase said. “I give credit when it’s due, but I’m not saying his name. … I’m not saying his name, brother. I’m sorry. Joe Burrow — I’m not saying that guy’s name.”

Chase seemed to allude not only to a rivalry between the Chiefs and the Bengals, who met in the AFC Championship Game in 2021 (won by Cincinnati) and 2022 (won by Kansas City), but also a budding rivalry between Mahomes and Burrow, the Bengals quarterback who is widely considered one of the best in the NFL — outside of Kansas City.

“He’s good. He’s amazing,” Chase said of Mahomes. “Not gonna lie, I’m salty, though. I’m a little salty. Two years in a row — I’m putting Burrow first.”

The animosity between the Chiefs and Bengals took a bit of a back seat last season when Cincinnati fell out of the playoffs after Burrow suffered a season-ending hand injury in a game against the Baltimore Ravens in November. But Burrow — with a flashy new haircut — is now healthy, and his longtime friend and teammate Chase appears set on making sure the tension between their Bengals and the heavyweight Chiefs stays high.

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