[jwplayer P3siMYIz]
Yes, the answer is yes.
One could end the whole idea right there and call it a day. But the idea of the Cincinnati Bengals offering Green a big-money extension seems to be a controversial one.
Which is odd, as a Burrow-to-Green connection would be incredibly fun, especially based on the accuracy downfield the LSU quarterback showed while curb-stomping Oklahoma to the tune of seven passing scores in the CFP semifinal.
There are risks to extending Green, yes. He’s missed a ton of time over the years and is over the age of 30.
But the major concerns really end there. The NFL’s cap is jumping again. The Bengals project to have about $60 million in free space as it is. They could free up boatloads of further cash by moving on from Andy Dalton, if not big-money guys like Cordy Glenn or Dre Kirkpatrick. They’re going to have a quarterback on a rookie deal, too.
Based on how the Bengals have operated in the past, they aren’t likely to spend the potential Green extension money on anything else anyway. It’d just sit there. And also based on how the Bengals do business, the only thing that can overcome the shrugging off of free agency is a franchise passer. Why not pay up on the hopes Green can help Burrow become that franchise passer?
Were the Bengals a team that used cap space on free agents who aren’t Bobby Hart or Preston Brown or did any sort of good drafting in the offensive trenches over the last handful of years, it’d be easier to trust a decision to not pay Green.
But viewed through this Burrow lens, it’s silly not to pony up the long-term deal to take another chance on Green. Burrow flanked by Tyler Boyd, Green and Joe Mixon? That’s a good way to do as much as possible to make sure the quarterback pans out.
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