AJ Green is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The way Green is revered around the NFL, it’s like he almost doesn’t exist. No wide receiver has gotten less attention and he’s one of the best in the NFL. It’s hard to blame the fans. He plays for the irrelevant Bengals who never wins anything. He’s also stuck with the red headed water pistol that is Andy Dalton. After spending the first 8 years of his career with the Bengals, it’s time for AJ Green to take control over his career and request a trade.
Green is entering the final year of his contract so he does have some leverage to make a trade happen. All he has to do is say to ownership that he’s not signing an extension and you’re better off trading me. If you use the franchise tag, I’m not showing up. I’ve been loyal to this franchise and you never win. It’s time for a change. Would you blame Green if he did that?
The problem with Green is that he is the consummate pro. As if that’s a problem, right? He’s one of the few star wide receivers that never causes any problems. Never complains about the number of targets. Never rolls an eye over the fact that Andy Dalton is his quarterback. Hell, Jeff Driskel started how many games last year. Green never once bitched about it or lost it on the sidelines.
Does anyone understand how good Green is? Just take a second to think about it. He’s averaging 14.8 yards per catch. He has made the Pro Bowl in 7 of his 8 NFL seasons. Last year was the first that he missed and he finished the season on IR. Green has six 1,000 yard seasons. The only two he missed, he played less than 11 games that year. The thing that’s holding Green back is Andy Dalton. There’s no question that Green is a top 10 wide receiver in the league. Julio Jones, Tyreek Hill, AJ Green, Odell Beckham, Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, Antonio Brown, and Mike Evans. He’s no worse than anyone else that I didn’t list. Not arguable. The sad part is we have no idea high how Green could have been if he didn’t play for Cincinnati.
Does anyone understand how bad the Bengals would be without Green? There have been games that Green essentially put the entire team on his back. In games that Green has recorded at least 100 yards, the Bengals are 22-11-1. The Bengals are around a .500 team since Green and would clearly be way worse without him.
This reminds me of the Randy Moss Raider days. Except, Green has been stuck in that kind of a situation forever. Larry Fitzgerald has been nothing other than a short run with Kurt Warner. Can you imagine what people would say about Deymarius Thomas if he never played with Peyton Manning? A wide receivers career is dictated so much by who his quarterback is. Green is one of the few that has put up numbers despite not having one.
