"BOYCOTT THE NFL" - Fans unimpressed with Saquon Barkley winning Offensive Player of the Year over Ja'Marr Chase

Saquon Barkley and Ja'Marr Chase were two worthy finalists for the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year but ultimately it was the former who prevailed. The running back won the award for rushing for more than 2,000 yards in the regular season and leading the Eagles to the playoffs. However, he had the benefit of playing behind the best offensive line in the NFL, something that Cincinnati did not have.

Ja'Marr Chase finished with 1,708 yards, 17 touchdowns and 127 receptions, all league-leading numbers that gave him the triple crown. This was the first time a player had achieved that since 2021. Cooper Kupp achieved it that season with the Rams and won the Offensive Player of the Year award, something that the Bengals wideout was snubbed for in 2025.

Fans did not take kindly to that and took to X/Twitter to criticize the NFL for ignoring the receiver. Here are some of the reactions.

Some accused the NFL of snubbing Ja'Marr Chase because he plays for the Bengals, who are not the biggest off-field asset in the league. Here are some comments highlighting that angle.

"Watching people downplay Ja’marr Chase’s Triple Crown actively on my TL daily is confirmation of a universal Bengals bias. Months from now they will tell us how he’s also not really the #1 receiver in football & ,“what the bengals need to do is trade em”." - said one.

"Ja'Marr Chase won a triple crown but 0 first place votes for OPOY because he wears a bengals uni" - concurred another.

"Ja'Marr Anthony Chase robbed" - added another Bengals fan.

Breaking down votes between Saquon Barkley and Ja'Marr Chase for NFL Honors 2025

The reason many were upset about Ja'Marr Chase missing out on the award was not solely down to Saquon Barkley winning it. The running back has had a phenomenal season. However, what was surprising is that the wide receiver did not receive a single vote in the first round. Derrick Henry, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow all did, even though none of them led in every statistical category possible like the Bengals wideout did.

Ultimately, though, Cincinnati fans could feel a bit better with Joe Burrow winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. They were also left to wonder how they missed the playoffs despite having the best receiver, one of the top quarterbacks, and the 2025 sack leader in Trey Hendrickson.