Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green sounds optimistic that he’s going to sign a long-term contract that will ensure he plays the prime of his career in Cincinnati.
“All that contract stuff really doesn’t bother me, because when you put in the work, the body of work I’ve put in, it speaks for itself,” Green told ABC 4 in Charleston, South Carolina. “So my time is coming. It’s always what great athletes dream of, to finish with the team that gave them their first opportunity. Cincinnati is a great place. We’re a great team that can be good for a long time. We’ve got a lot of young talent. So it would be great to stay there. I want to stay there. I think they’re going to get something done.”
Green is heading into the final season of his rookie contract and will make $10.1 million this year. He’s scheduled to become a free agent in March, although barring something catastrophic the Bengals would place the franchise tag on him. That would put him in the same position that Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas were in this year.
And that may point to why Green is optimistic something will get done: For all the questions all offseason about whether Bryant and Thomas would reach deals on new contracts, in the end they both signed deals. Green may now feel that Bryant and Thomas have set the market for what a talented young receiver is worth, and feel confident that he and the Bengals can come to an agreement on a deal in that neighborhood.
Bryant and Thomas both stand to make about $70 million over the next five years, and both Green and Falcons receiver Julio Jones will probably be looking for something similar as they head into the final seasons on their rookie deals.
If Bryant and Thomas got deals done, Green and Jones should be able to get deals done as well.