The 49ers can’t afford big-name free agents with their salary cap situation, but it’s fun to think about.
The 49ers’ preferred free agency route probably includes zero big-name free agents making their way to San Francisco. They have defensive lineman Arik Armstead to re-sign, along with starting free safety Jimmie Ward. They also have wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, defensive lineman Ronald Blair and several other contributors set to hit the open market.
Keeping everyone would be ideal for a team that went 13-3 and was six minutes from winning the Super Bowl. Over The Cap has the 49ers with about $13 million in cap space to work with, although there are ways to inflate that number that San Francisco will surely execute.
We went through the list of available free agents though and picked out a few names that would be fun signings for San Francisco in the event they get priced out of some of their more coveted free agents. There are a ton of names that would instantly make an impact for the 49ers, so went over some hypothetical situations where they land in Santa Clara this offseason.
While Buffalo should take a look at Green in the offseason, ultimately, here are four reasons why the Bills should pass on Green moving forward.
The top priority for the Buffalo Bills is to find stronger playmakers on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. The team made strides over the past two years on the offense. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement for Buffalo’s offense.
The Bills were tied for 23rd in points per game, 26th in passing yards per game, and 24th in touchdown receptions. There’s room for improvement.
Buffalo is in need of a big, playmaking wide receiver. With this in mind, it’s natural that many would connect the Bills with high-end wide receivers in free agency. One intriguing name has piqued the interest of many following Buffalo is A.J. Green.
While Green’s tantalizing skill has made him one of the best players at the position in recent years, there are several reasons to be concerned about making a substantial investment in the seven-time Pro-Bowler moving forward.
While Buffalo could take a look at Green in the offseason, ultimately, here are four reasons why the Bills should pass on Green moving forward:
Green is coming off a four-year, $60 million dollar extension that he signed in 2015. Even with the deal signed in the middle of the decade, Green’s average yearly salary ranked 11th among receivers in 2019.
Spotrac views Green’s market value at just over $9 million per season, seeing a two-year, $18.1 million contract as the going rate for the wideout. This compares his contract with Julian Edelman, Emanuel Sanders, Larry Fitzgerald, and DeSean Jackson. Even though these contracts are similar, Green’s arguably the second-best player, next to Fitzgerald, on the list.
The free agency frenzy drives up the cost of a player. The market value is conservative at this point, as teams will be bidding on the services of Green, Sanders, Amari Cooper, Robby Anderson, and Randall Cobb.
Fitzgerald signed a one-year extension to remain with Arizona at a cost of $11 million. Green, more explosive and younger than Fitzgerald, will be looking for something bigger than his counterpart’s contract. Thus, a yearly average of $13-15 million is not out of the cards for Green.
This would place Green as the largest cap hit on Buffalo’s roster.
There are numerous notable Georgia Bulldogs who will become a free agent this off-season in the NFL including: A.J. Green and Jordan Jenkins
There are numerous notable Georgia Bulldogs who will become a free agent this off-season in the NFL. Each of these Dawgs will get one of the largest paydays of their life or simply another shot to make an impact in the NFL.
There’s no doubt about the top UGA product who is headed for NFL Free Agency: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green walks the field before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
When healthy A.J. Green is one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. Unfortunately he missed the entire 2019 season after suffering an ankle injury and swelling when he attempted to return.
That won’t stop the Georgia legend from getting a big pay day. Green, who is 31, has over 600 career receptions for 8,907 yards. He’s scored 63 touchdowns as well, but has never won a playoff game. Will he return to Cincinnati? The Bengals have other needs and may want to stick with their young receivers, who will look to mesh with likely number one overall pick Joe Burrow.
Beyond Green, New York Jets outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins will be in for a huge raise. Jenkins led the Jets in sacks in 2019 with 8.0 sacks. The Jets are desperate for a better pass rush. Green was the only linebacker or defensive lineman on the Jets with more than three sacks!
Ben Watson, who played with the New England Patriots, is technically a free agent. Watson announced his retirement following New England’s defeat in the playoffs. Watson has returned after retiring before, so don’t be shocked if he tries to win one more Super Bowl.
John Jenkins, who played in 16 games for the Miami Dolphins, is set to be a free agent as well. Jenkins is coming off one of his best seasons, where he recorded one sack along with 34 total tackles.
Lastly, Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie is set to hit the market as well. The 24 year old had an excellent 2019 campaign, where he caught 27 passes for 257 receiving yards and scored a touchdown.
[lawrence-auto-related count=1]
Bonus: Isaiah Crowell, who missed the 2019 season with an Achilles injury is set to become a free agent. Crowell never got to play for the Raiders.
The 49ers have options if they can’t bring back key free agents in 2020.
Much of the 49ers’ focus in 2020 free agency will be on retaining their own players. With valuable contributors like Jimmie Ward, Arik Armstead, Emmanuel Sanders and Ronald Blair all set to hit unrestricted free agency, San Francisco will need to get creative to maintain the key pieces of the roster that took them to the Super Bowl last season.
There’s a good chance the 49ers aren’t able to retain all of their available free agents though, especially when teams will aim to poach their players in an effort to capture some of the production that made San Francisco a contender. They’ll also make some cuts to clear cap space that’ll open roster spots for contributors.
Should the 49ers miss out on re-signing their own players and make those cuts, they can still put together a good free agency period with a splash signing or two, or some smaller moves that provide only minor tweaks to the roster while still filling needs.
Here are five free agents the 49ers may target if they miss out on re-signing their free agents:
WR AJ Green, Bengals
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
This is certainly a pipe-dream type of signing for San Francisco where they’re able to clear some cap space and wind up getting the 31-year-old Green at a discount. He is coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for all of 2019, and he’s played just 35 of a possible 64 games over the last four seasons. Green is undeniably productive when he is healthy though, which is why it’s a long-shot for the 49ers to snag him. In his eight seasons, he’s averaging 75 catches, 1,113 yards and 8 touchdowns per year. Adding a more traditional No. 1 receiver across from Deebo Samuel would give the 49ers one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the league.
Sports Illustrated’s MMQB thinks the Buffalo Bills should target Bengals free agent WR AJ Green.
With the NFL’s offseason in full swing, many point to the 2020 NFL Draft for where the Bills should find their No. 1 wide receiver.
But could free agency be a more realistic option? It comes first, after all.
Bengals receiver AJ Green is the top dog on the market. The MMQB wrote earlier this week that the Bills would be wise to make a run at him when free agency opens:
The Bills know they need to get more explosive on offense this offseason—and their tire-kicking on Antonio Brown was evidence they knew it last year. The bottom line is that Buffalo’s got a lot of nice complementary pieces but could use a focal point, and that makes me wonder whether this cap-rich team should make a real run at AJ Green, who stylistically would be perfect for Josh Allen.
Like every addition, there’s pros and cons. Starting with the questions, what can Green bring to the table? He’s proven and has six 1,000-plus yard seasons under his belt while playing for typically average offenses in Cincy. He’s also that 6-foot-4, big-bodied target the Bills need.
On the flip side, Green would be another veteran playmaker. How much does he have left in the tank? Especially since he sat out last season? One could also argue maybe that fixed up some of the wear and tear on him.
But within a year or two, if Green joins Beasley and Brown, in short time, Buffalo would have three aging vet wideouts with no youthful prospects. That is, unless the Bills take Green and use a high pick on a receiver. Getting a young target to grow with quarterback Josh Allen should be important to the Bills.
Green may be turning 32 years old this offseason, but he has still been productive over recent seasons in which he has been healthy. He missed all of 2019 with torn ankle ligaments and missed seven games in 2018 with a toe injury, but reached seven consecutive Pro Bowls prior to said toe injury. His lowest receiving yardage total in his first seven seasons was 964 in the 2016 season.
The Seahawks are also projected to have over $70 million in cap space for the 2020 season, so that could certainly help them sign Green. Of course, Seattle has other needs to tend to this offseason with impending free agencies of a few key players of their own, but this could give them an opportunity that they could potentially take advantage of.
Green will likely have several other teams looking to court him, including Cincinnati, who are expected to draft LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick. However, nothing is a done deal until a player puts pen to paper.
Why the New England Patriots should target former Georgia football WR AJ Green this offseason.
The New England Patriots are in big need of an elite wide receiver, and a former Bulldog could be the answer to their problems.
The Patriots at one point had Julian Edelman, Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon on the roster. However, Gordon and Brown did not work out, leaving Edelman as the only elite receiver on the depth chart. Edelman was his usual reliable self until injuries slowed him down and forced him to undergo shoulder surgery at the end of the season.
With that in mind, former Georgia wide receiver AJ Green would be a great fit in New England’s offense if he is not franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals. On the topic of being franchise tagged, that is not what Green wants. He will take the money and play if tagged, but he thinks it sends the wrong message.
Green has spent his entire career with the Bengals, and the 31 year old has earned a spot in the Pro Bowl seven times. There is risk involved with Green, though – he’s played in just 35 of a possible 64 games since 2015.
But when he’s healthy, there’s no denying he is one of the league’s top talents at the receiver position.
Green and the Patriots would be a match made in heaven. Bill Belichick runs a tight shift, likes his players to remain out of the spotlight and enjoys keeping a low profile. That describes Green – one of the most humble players in the league, someone who is rather inactive on social media and a guy who performs at a high level without added drama.
After what the Patriots went through with Gordon and Brown, they’d be thrilled to add a no-drama player like Green.
Tom Brady is a free agent for the first time in nearly two decades, and in order to keep him around owner Robert Kraft will be more inclined to make a move to get more playmakers around his aging quarterback.
New England currently has $42m in cap space, and a large chunk of that would go to Brady. But Kraft knows that if he wants to get Brady another Super Bowl, he will have to make some moves to add an elite wide receiver.
AJ Green, David Andrews and Sony Michel all on the same offense? Yes please.
The Redskins have a promising group of young receivers, but they would benefit greatly from a cost-effective veteran in the locker room.
Despite going 3-13 in 2019, the Washington Redskins saw a change of fortune when it comes to one aspect of football where they’ve struggled mightily over the past decade. They saw a number of wide receivers that they drafted realize their potential early and often.
Though Terry McLaurin was undoubtedly the star, the trio of rookie receivers — McLaurin, Steven Sims Jr., and Kelvin Harmon — all flashed a great deal of potential and gave Redskins fans hope that they might have a solid group of playmakers going into the future. Still, though, that doesn’t give Washington an excuse to get complacent. While the WR production was better than average for the Redskins in 2019, that’s nothing that a sophomore slump or injury bug can’t render irrelevant.
If the Redskins plan to keep the ball rolling and actualize their success in the future under a new coaching staff and a young group of playmakers, they’ll need some additional help on the outside. Luckily, Washington has a chance to be major spenders in the free agency market this offseason, and there are a few intriguing names that fans need to look out for, should the Redskins choose to bolster their receiving corps.
AJ Green — Cincinnati Bengals
CINCINNATI, OH – OCTOBER 28: A.J. Green #18 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs onto the field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paul Brown Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
It’s easy to forget because of his absence in 2019, but Green is one of the more talented receivers in the NFL, and he always poses the threat to completely take the game over when given the chance. Though his time with the Bengals has been a little underwhelming, a lot of that can be attributed to the quarterback play he’s been subjected to in the ‘Red Rifle’ Andy Dalton.
Despite his concerning injury history — Green has missed 29 games over the past four seasons, including the entire 2019 season — he still has been widely productive while on the field. In the four seasons where he’s played all 16 games, he has a total of 40 touchdowns with an average yards-per-catch well into double digits. Green would also present a nice veteran presence in the locker room that could help the young receiving corp in Washington as they learn to grow in the spotlight in the NFL.
Unfortunately for the Redskins, this may be the one year where Green may prefer to stay in Cincinnati, as they likely bring in Heisman-winning QB Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But still, it would be smart for the Redskins to at least make it be known that they are interested when the free agency period rolls around.
Georgia Football great AJ Green will skip OTAs if franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Georgia great AJ Green is one of the most humble, drama-free players in the NFL.
However, when it came time to step up and think about himself first, Green did so.
Good for Green, who has sat the whole season, a contract year, with injury.
Last offseason, Green said multiple times that he would like to stay in Cincinnati and finish his career there.
The two parties have not reached a deal that would allow him to play out the rest of his career in Cincy, and the Bengals have said they would franchise tag Green if they could not reach a long-term deal.
To that, Green responded that he would play the regular season, but will skip OTAs and maybe training camp.
A.J. Green said if he is franchise tagged he would definitely not be participating in any of the OTAs and maybe not all of training camp next year.
On TC: "I don't know. It's still a business."
On proving he's healthy in offseason: "I don't have to prove anything to nobody."
Green, 31, would be paid $18m next season if he is tagged by the Bengals.
Green gets that, but he said it makes him feel like the team is not committed to him.
“But that also shows that they’re not committed, and in that circumstance,” Green told ESPN, “I have to protect myself.”
If the Bengals do tag Green, they will have until July to reach a deal before the tag turns into a one year contract.
If no deal is reached, Green will not participate in much preseason training.
Can you blame him, though? He’s on the wrong side of 30, he has a history of getting injured and he’s still one of the best receivers in the NFL when healthy.
He does not need training camp or OTAs anyway. He’s AJ Green.
Why risk injuring yourself in practice when you’re franchise tagged rather than under a long-term deal?
