Bryan Woolston/Associated Press
A.J. Green could be one of the most intriguing free-agent targets, but there is a chance he will not appear on the open market.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cincinnati Bengals want to put the franchise tag on the wide receiver. He also stated they want Green with the team “in Cincinnati in 2020 either through the tag or a longer deal.”
Before the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified, Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported “the team plans to franchise-tag Green if a long-term deal isn’t reached.”
Cincinnati’s intentions make sense from its own perspective because it needs a No. 1 wide receiver to partner with likely No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow.
By linking Burrow with Green, the Bengals offense could flourish under second-year head coach Zac Taylor.
If the 31-year-old returns to the gridiron in orange and black in 2020, he could be paired with Tyler Boyd, Auden Tate and John Ross to give Burrow ample targets in the passing attack.
Without Green in 2019, Boyd recorded a 1,046-yard season, while Tate, Ross and Alex Erickson all earned over 500 receiving yards.
Those numbers were produced with Andy Dalton and Ryan Finley alternating in the starting role in Taylor’s system, which is inspired from his time under Sean McVay as the Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach.
If Cincinnati upgrades the talent on the field in Burrow and Green, it could bounce back from a rough 2019.
Green, who has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons, is due to be an unrestricted free agent, but the franchise tag could be used by the Bengals to keep him off the market.
The decision to franchise-tag Green and/or sign him to a long-term deal could have an effect on Cincinnati’s strategy with Joe Mixon, whose current deal is up at the end of the 2020 campaign.
There is a chance both players agree to deals since the Bengals have $53.4 million available in salary-cap space, per Spotrac.
From Green’s perspective, that could be beneficial to getting a long-term deal done with the only team he has played for in the NFL, if he wants to remain in Cincinnati with a new quarterback and a young head coach.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.
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