Ja’Marr Chase has found himself at the center of another social-media mystery. This time, fans think the NFL player may be dating someone very familiar.
And, of course, the internet has already opened the investigation.
Social-media users are speculating that Chase could be romantically involved with Toi Pena, who fans identify as the best friend of his former girlfriend, Deja Nicole Hiott. The speculation started after a cozy mirror selfie made its way online.
In the photo, someone’s arms are wrapped around Chase. That was apparently all the internet needed.
Ja'Marr Chase posted a cozy selfie with a woman social media thinks is Toi Pena, reportedly his ex-girlfriend Deja Nicole Hiott's best friend. Speculation is fueled by similar manicures and unconfirmed claims of matching watches. Chase and Hiott were publicly linked in early 2025… pic.twitter.com/QCuYCgMgOz
— Sideline Confidential 🩷 (@thesidelineconf) August 19, 2026
Detectives immediately clocked the details. The pose, the arms, the setting and the vibes.
Some accounts believe the woman may be Toi Pena, who is reportedly friends with Ja’Marr’s former girlfriend, Deja Nicole Hiott. Fans also noticed that the manicure in the selfie appears similar to Toi’s recent nails—and there’s an unverified claim that Ja’Marr gifted Toi matching AP watches for her birthday. 💅🏽⌚️
A matching manicure and matching Audemars Piguets? If the speculation is right, the saxophones are getting louder by the minute.
For context, Ja’Marr and Deja were publicly linked in early 2025 after she shared affectionate photos of them together, including mirror selfies captioned “Loml.” They later appeared together during Paris Fashion Week, and Deja showed support at Bengals games throughout the 2025 season.
Neither has publicly addressed a breakup, and no relationship involving Toi has been confirmed.
The alleged connection has attracted even more attention because of Pena’s reported friendship with Chase’s ex. If the rumors were ever confirmed, it would certainly make for an awkward chapter in the relationship timeline.
But social media loves a complicated storyline.
Chase has already been under plenty of public attention throughout his NFL career. He is one of the league’s biggest young stars, so his personal life naturally attracts curiosity.
It is a lot. Maybe Chase is dating Pena. Maybe he is not.
Until either Chase or Pena speaks publicly, the alleged relationship remains speculation.
