Former Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green is apparently expected to sign and play under the franchise tag with the Cincinnati Bengals this upcoming season.
Green has spent the past nine seasons, the entirety of his NFL career, with the Bengals. He suffered an ankle injury in training camp last season that lingered throughout the year, causing him to miss all of 2019.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Green is expected to sign the franchise tag on SportsCenter this Saturday:
“He has not signed the tag. I’ve talked to some sources involved. They don’t know either if he’s going to or if a long-term deal is going to get done. They don’t sound overly optimistic in Cincinnati that their best pass-catcher will be locked up long-term. They expect that he’ll play this year under the tag. It’s sort of a feeling-out period for both parties because Green practiced all but five minutes last year with various injuries, including a foot issue, and so they still consider him one of the best wide receivers when healthy. They know he’s ready to go right now and finally healed up, so maybe a one-year pact is best for both parties.”
Green has expressed his interest in leaving Cincinnati, the team not reaching the playoffs since 2015.
It seems the two sides aren’t ready to commit to a long term deal quite yet, but the franchise tag will give Green options following the 2020 season while also allowing the Bengals to get a good evaluation of his health and ability entering his 10th year in the league, without letting him go for nothing.
The Bengals have a deadline of July 15th to offer Green a long-term deal, otherwise he will have the franchise tag option at $17.865 million for 2020.
There is definitely some hype coming into Cincinnati following their draft choice of Heisman Trophy and CFP National Championship winner Joe Burrow of LSU. Burrow completed 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in the 2019-20 season, setting a number of college football passing records.
The question marks are there regarding Green’s health, but let’s not downplay his skills and talent seen over the years. Green was named a Pro Bowler in his first seven seasons in the NFL, going for 1,000 yards in six of those seasons.
Entering the NFL as a rookie quarterback is always a challenge, but having a veteran receiver such as A.J. Green as an option for Burrow couldn’t hurt the Bengal’s hopes of rebuilding their franchise, coming off a 2-14 season.
Right now, it seems like the best option for both parties is the franchise tag, which Green is expected to sign soon.