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The Bengals have plenty of work to do this offseason in getting key players signed to contract extensions.
You already know about Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap, the two biggest priorities right now. Getting one or both of them extended by Week 1 would be a huge accomplishment for an organization that prides itself on keeping its best players.
Then there’s guys like Tyler Kroft, Tyler Eifert, Darqueze Dennard and Jake Fisher that could get extensions at some point, though it’s more likely they’ll hit free agency in 2019.
Thankfully, it appears getting a new contract for A.J. Green is something the team doesn’t need worry about. In an interview with the CIncinnati Enquirer,
Green talked about the wide receiver market changing with guys like Julio Jones looking to get new contracts. However, Green isn’t ready to ask for a new one. For now, he’s happy with what he’s got.
“I think the biggest thing for me, I’m always comfortable with stuff I’m doing – I signed a deal and I’m comfortable with the deal and I just live with it,” Green said. “After that’s up, we go back to the board. I don’t really get caught up in what’s the money like because I signed my deal and it was the highest paid at that point. It’s going to always go up. So you can’t keep up with that.”
Green, who is entering his eighth NFL season, finished 2017 with 75 catches for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns. Through seven seasons in the NFL has averaged 1,173 per year and over 80 receiving yards per game.
He currently ranks ninth in career receiving yards among active receivers (8,213) and is nearing the illustrious 10,000-yard mark. He also is on pace to break every single franchise receiving record, and he’ll likely go down as the most accomplished receiver to ever play in Cincinnati.
That is, as long as Green is under contract and playing for the Bengals for the foreseeable future. His current deal runs out in 2020, so the Bengals need to work on getting him a new deal as soon as this year. Ideally, Green will not be allowed to enter Week 1 of the 2019 season with just one year left on his deal. The Bengals need to make sure he finishes his career in the Queen City.