Bengals will franchise AJ Green (1 Viewer)

[44slayer]

Does any contenders have the cap space for a 32 year old 19 million dollar WR that's been on IR for a year and a half?

I would think that part of the trade would be that they can work out a cap friendly 2-3 year deal that will avoid paying him 19 this year. Youre right though, its unlikely.

Just seems like something NE can pull off. This is prime NE real estate. Squeeze a few years out of an aging vet and they aren't afraid to throw draft picks around.

 

[guillermo]

Joe Burrow wants the Bengals to keep A.J. Green - ProFootballTalk

Maybe when Joe Burrow talked about having leverage, he meant over personnel decisions.According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, Burrow “made it clear” he wanted the Bengals to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green.The LSU quarterback did the best he could to extinguish...

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

"According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, when Burrow met with the Bengals last week at the Scouting Combine he “made it clear” he wanted the team to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green."

A year ago, people were salivating thinking the saints should trade and get Green. He stays on the Bengals, he gets hurt. He gets franchised for next year.

To me, the franchise tag makes some sense for the team. AJ is not getting younger. If he is fully healthy, then they can start the process of a long term deal. Worst case scenario, he will continue mentoring that young talented group of receivers and help Joe Burrow with a veteran presence for that offense.

 

[TribuneUK]

A year ago, people were salivating thinking the saints should trade and get Green.

People were salivating about a deal that wasn't going to happen, the Bengals clearly value Green very highly. But that tends to get blotted out when we fans start connecting dots to make our team better on paper.

Useful link to King by the way, hadn't seen this, thanks.

 

[Snakehead]

Joe Burrow wants the Bengals to keep A.J. Green - ProFootballTalk

Maybe when Joe Burrow talked about having leverage, he meant over personnel decisions.According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, Burrow “made it clear” he wanted the Bengals to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green.The LSU quarterback did the best he could to extinguish...

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

"According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, when Burrow met with the Bengals last week at the Scouting Combine he “made it clear” he wanted the team to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green."

A year ago, people were salivating thinking the saints should trade and get Green. He stays on the Bengals, he gets hurt. He gets franchised for next year.

To me, the franchise tag makes some sense for the team. AJ is not getting younger. If he is fully healthy, then they can start the process of a long term deal. Worst case scenario, he will continue mentoring that young talented group of receivers and help Joe Burrow with a veteran presence for that offense.

Now this makes sense. I was hard on the Bengals with my initial reaction to the franchise tag news, but if it was essentially at the request of Burrow then that makes a lot more sense. It also provides some clarity of whether or not the Bengals will trade the pick, which with this move indicates to me that the 1st pick is off the table.

Draft Burrow and keep AJ Green are two moves in the right direction for them.

I'll take my crow in gumbo please.

 

[44slayer]

Joe Burrow wants the Bengals to keep A.J. Green - ProFootballTalk

Maybe when Joe Burrow talked about having leverage, he meant over personnel decisions.According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, Burrow “made it clear” he wanted the Bengals to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green.The LSU quarterback did the best he could to extinguish...

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

"According to Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, when Burrow met with the Bengals last week at the Scouting Combine he “made it clear” he wanted the team to retain free agent wide receiver A.J. Green."

A year ago, people were salivating thinking the saints should trade and get Green. He stays on the Bengals, he gets hurt. He gets franchised for next year.

To me, the franchise tag makes some sense for the team. AJ is not getting younger. If he is fully healthy, then they can start the process of a long term deal. Worst case scenario, he will continue mentoring that young talented group of receivers and help Joe Burrow with a veteran presence for that offense.

While I do agree for the most part, the Bengals have the space to just eat the 19 million this year to help transition Burrow. But how do you begin a new era in Cincy by tying up a 32 year old WR that has missed 23 games the past 2 seasons with a long term deal? What is a reasonable contract for a guy this age with this injury history? Good soldiers cant win wars if they aren't on the battlefield.

 

[Swimmer]

I am a massive AJ Green fan. When healthy, he is a Top 5 WR every year. He and MT are the most savvy WRs in the league. But his injury concerns are quite real. Coach Pete was really interested to try and findout if Green basically laid down at the end of last year to not get hurt. I think he was unable to get any info on this. But at his cost, his injury history over the last few years is a huge risk. He really is a player who should only be taken on a one-year prove-it deal. But he has the creds to get top dollar. If he moves from Cincy, he has Patriot smell all over him.

 

[Snakehead]

While I do agree for the most part, the Bengals have the space to just eat the 19 million this year to help transition Burrow. But how do you begin a new era in Cincy by tying up a 32 year old WR that has missed 23 games the past 2 seasons with a long term deal? What is a reasonable contract for a guy this age with this injury history? Good soldiers cant win wars if they aren't on the battlefield.

It's possible that he may be 100% healthy now and Burrow will drop him some dimes, that's not a bad thing for Green and his ability.

Burrow at 1.1 and Tee Higgins at 2.1 to be an understudy of AJ Green who he compares favorably to is not a bad duo to go with Tyler Boyd.

 

[44slayer]

It's possible that he may be 100% healthy now and Burrow will drop him some dimes, that's not a bad thing for Green and his ability.

No question, if he is healthy, he can help Burrow. But how much of the future can you mortgage on a 32 year old WR? Green is going to want a long term deal. He has very little leverage to hold out. Tossing 19 million to become a FA in 2021, at 33 - after missing 39 games? Cincy has all the leverage. Pay him the 19 and if he stays healthy look at a 2-3 year deal after the season.

 

[guillermo]

If he moves from Cincy, he has Patriot smell all over him.

Well, he is not moving. He will play for 18 million for the bengals this season, where he will be catching passes from Joe Burrow.

If they can fix that offensive line, they will be a very talented offense.

 

[TribuneUK]

While I do agree for the most part, the Bengals have the space to just eat the 19 million this year to help transition Burrow. But how do you begin a new era in Cincy by tying up a 32 year old WR that has missed 23 games the past 2 seasons with a long term deal? What is a reasonable contract for a guy this age with this injury history? Good soldiers cant win wars if they aren't on the battlefield.

Because he's by far the best they've got. They can choose to do it, and they have.

 

[Snakehead]

Because he's by far the best they've got. They can choose to do it, and they have.

As much as I would want to see Burrow in a Saints uniform, that's not going to happen in 2020 and I just want to see Burrow succeed. Keeping Green gives him a lethal weapon when healthy.

 

[44slayer]

Because he's by far the best they've got. They can choose to do it, and they have.

That's fine to say that, but he hasn't played since week 12 of 2018. He has caught 1 pass since October 2018. He will be 32 when the season starts. You feel comfortable tying up cap space with a long term deal for that? If its worth 19 million to give Burrow a viable option at WR for a year, and they have plenty of cap space, then by all means. And if he proves he can stay healthy, then you look at a 2-3 year deal after the season. Green has 0 leverage. The Bengals have no need to put themselves in a bad position by giving a oft hurt aging WR a long term deal.

3 years puts him at 35. Larry Fitzgerald started last season at 35, and he is nowhere near the same guy he used to be. AND he has been durable. He has missed 8 games in 16 years. Green has missed 23 the past 2 seasons, and 33 over his 8 years - that's 26% of his career on the sideline - and he isn't getting younger. WRs not named Jerry Rice just don't age well.

 

[Meachemdat]

This is why I'm glad we do what we do.

These players put in the work to get to free agency and then a team like the Bengals blocks their big pay-day.

You're not going to win any points in terms of getting other free agents to come in, if you treat your players like this.

The best thing they could do would be to draft Burrow and trade Green for assets. Build a young team through the draft. You'll take your lumps this season, but should be primed to finish the rebuild next season.

All it really takes is 2 really strong drafts, but that's assuming your GM knows what they are doing.

 

[Gumbo's Dad]

So from this it looks like a potential rook who is not on the team is controlling personnel decisions? https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...-to-keep-aj-green/ar-BB10D3YY?ocid=spartanntp

 

[TribuneUK]

That's fine to say that, but he hasn't played since week 12 of 2018. He has caught 1 pass since October 2018. He will be 32 when the season starts. You feel comfortable tying up cap space with a long term deal for that? If its worth 19 million to give Burrow a viable option at WR for a year, and they have plenty of cap space, then by all means. And if he proves he can stay healthy, then you look at a 2-3 year deal after the season. Green has 0 leverage. The Bengals have no need to put themselves in a bad position by giving a oft hurt aging WR a long term deal.

3 years puts him at 35. Larry Fitzgerald started last season at 35, and he is nowhere near the same guy he used to be. AND he has been durable. He has missed 8 games in 16 years. Green has missed 23 the past 2 seasons, and 33 over his 8 years - that's 26% of his career on the sideline - and he isn't getting younger. WRs not named Jerry Rice just don't age well.

Yes, my answer remains yes. All he costs here and now is the tag amount and they have all the room they need to accommodate that. Not much more I can add to what we've both said.