AJ Green - Probably his last season as a Bengal

[BengalChris]

(08-05-2019, 05:03 PM)TopSix Wrote: I hope the new regime can start to implement some forward thinking, strategic moves based around contracts and personel moving forward.

Cincinnati, as a Pro Sports City, has a long history of over paying veterans for past performance.   Fans and the teams becoming enfranchised with long term players, to the point where they want the player to 'Write their own ending' -  based on some misguided sense of loyalty.

The reality is the players, on the whole, have not contributed to much collective success.  And the feeling that they are 'owed' anything is a bad way to run a sports team.

The Bengals have to make tough decisions.  Even in the Trade Gio thread, there are posters saying 'I hope we keep him even though he is expensive, he is one of the good guys' - What does that even mean?  If you want to put feelings and niceties  above winning, then I guess that is how you want to operate.

AJ Green.

Going to miss the first 4 games this season.

That will put him at 21 missed games over their last 85 games.

And 11 of the teams last 20 games for 2018 and this season, respectively.

Is he the best WR to wear a Bengals uni ever?  Yes, without a doubt.    He is the most talented Bengal WR of all time.

Will he be 32 next year?  Yes

The bengals need to get used to the idea that AJ will not be here next year.  If he has a 12 game end of the season, and is fully healthy back from injury and does his typical 1000 yards, 8 TDs, 75 Grabs in 12 games - Fine, then consider a one year Franchise.


But that is the ONLY way I would have AJ on the team for 2020 - Extending him would be a big mistake at this point in his career. They need that money to go elsewhere, and paying a 31 YO,  oft injured WR 40-60 million for 3 more years is the exact wrong way to stay competitive in the NFL.

There's really no reason not to keep AJ Green. The team can extend him this season and Willie Jackson and Mixon next season.

It's easy to say to move on, but to move on to whom exactly?

They moved on from Whit and had no one to replace him and still don't have a comparable replacement, which has cost them badly. Until Jonah actually gets out there and does it, he's only a potential.

Just remember that Mike Brown will never sign a top flight free agent from another team, so if you have dreams of the team bringing in a young super star in free agency, just realize it's a wet dream and not the real thing.