Patriots expected to target A.J. Green, per report

Tom Brady may not be the best player potentially entering the open market this offseason, but the idea of the six-time Super Bowl champion playing for anyone besides the New England Patriots is by far the most radical concept the NFL world is dealing with.

Brady and Bill Belichick have been an inseparable combo for the last 20 years, and according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Brady is expected to be back with the Patriots. But Belichick won’t be stopping there.

The Patriots are reportedly eyeing Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green to help out the 42-year old quarterback they’re re-committing to.

Last season, Green’s name became linked to the Patriots as the trade deadline was approaching, so their continued interest in the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver is no surprise. The one issue is that Green wasn’t available for trade last season, and he won’t likely reach the open market this season.

The window for teams to use the franchise tag on players runs from February 25th to March 10th. If you want to bet on anything regarding the Bengals this offseason, they will either place the tag on Green within that time period or just sign him to a new contract altogether before free agency begins on March 18th. The tag is by far the more realistic option, and Green has said he would agree to it.

If Brady does indeed return to Foxborough, you can also erase all hope for Andy Dalton to be traded there. But how wild would it have been for Dalton and Green to team up under Belichick for the final years of their career?

Even if the Bengals tag Green, the Patriots can still make a trade offer for him, but the Bengals would likely ask for more than New England is willing to give up.

Green has all but certainly played his last snap with Dalton back in late 2018, when he last stepped onto an NFL field. Dalton and the Bengals will be working together to find him a team that would trade for him, and the Bengals will try to keep Green around for at least one more year.

Sorry, Bill.