AJ Green Signs an $18.2 Million Franchise Tender With The Bengals

AJ Green will stay in Cincinnati for at least one more year, after signing a franchise tender with the Bengals earlier today. This signature is going to bring him $18.2 million and will make it possible for him to become a free agent at the end of this campaign.

That is if he and the franchise don’t come up with a deal in the meantime.

Bengals put a franchise tag on Green on March 16, but weren’t able to come up with an offer which would see the star wide receiver signing a new long-term deal. Still, the executives in the franchise are hoping that the current contract gives them enough time to make a deal that would satisfy their favorite.

He's BACK! A.J. Green has signed his franchise tender and will report to camp with the rest of the team.

📰: https://t.co/SfXUIemk8Z pic.twitter.com/9Oy8bNtmUk

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 17, 2020

“We look forward to the opportunity at the end of the season to discuss keeping him here long-term. He has been an integral part of our team, and we expect this year that he will be the same impact player he has always been,” said the executive vice president Katie Blackburn.

Green came to Cincinnati in 2011, after the Bengals selected him as the fourth overall pick in that draft. He came from Georgia, where he built a reputation of one of the best ever wide receivers in college.

After that, he made an immediate impact on the Bengals’ performances, becoming the first player to reach 260 catches in his opening three seasons in the league.

He became a Pro Bowl selection on seven occasions and a three-time second-team All-Pro. During his career, Green posted 602 catches, for 8,907 yards and 63 TDs. During the years in which he didn’t have any troubles with injuries, soon to be 32-year old was always over 1,000 yards.

He skipped the entire 2019 after tearing his ankle ligaments during the training camp. The medical staff believed that he would come back after several games missed, yet that didn’t happen. Green was out the entire year, but it seems that such a scenario was planned.

The Bengals were after the No.1 pick and Joe Burrow, which is why they didn’t have any reasons to bring in Green and chase victories. On the other hand, the player himself used this time to rest and solve all his health issues, which he had a lot in the previous years.

Green missed six games in 2016 and seven in 2018, all due to various injuries.

Cincinnati wants to keep him for at least two or three more years per source, making him a primary target for young Burrow, who needs an experienced player to help him during his adaptation period.

Some of the experts are claiming that the Bengals might even attack the playoffs with these two guys in the lineup. Keeping Green is a sign that the Bengals aren’t willing to tank and enter some kind of rebuilding. The current roster has solid experience, and with Burrow who is a generational talent, it wouldn’t be odd to see this team in some hunt for the postseason.

What prevents those experts from making some bold statements is the extremely strong AFC North division, where we have Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Browns besides Cincinnati.

If Green comes into this season 100% healthy, and at the level he used to play before the injury, Burrow will have a reliable target, and the Bengals might be one of the nicest surprises in the league.