A.J. Green Signs Extension
Aug 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) against the Chicago Bears in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Breaking news! Cincinnati and WhoDey Nation, it’s time to relax because the Bengals just locked up A.J. Green for another four years. Green signed a four-year extension worth $60M that will go into effect after he plays out the final year of his rookie contract in 2015.
Aug 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) against the Chicago Bears in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Green is the latest wide out to be paid this season, following Dez Bryant‘s five year, $70 million deal, Demaryius Thomas‘ five year, $70 million bonus, T.Y Hilton‘s five year, $65 million signing and Julio Jones‘ five year, $71.25 million contract.
Cincinnati got a great deal in signing Green; on top of the $10 million he is set to earn this season, he will be paid $60 million over the four seasons following, amounting to a five-year, $70 million contract. With Green locked up, Cincinnati will finally be able to turn its attention to other players on the team’s roster who are slated to hit free agency at the end of the season.
Green came into the league as the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft along with his quarterback Andy Dalton, who was selected in the second round. The duo has become one of the NFL’s best quarterback-receiver connections, with Green being one of just two players in NFL history to record at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first four years pro–Randy Moss being the other.
Green’s stats are extremely impressive; his 329 catches rank third in NFL history among pass-catchers through their first four years; his 4,874 yards are second only to Moss through a receiver’s first four seasons, and he’s scored 35 touchdowns. And as Green’s been dominant through his first four years pro, Cincinnati has made the playoffs in four straight seasons for the first time in franchise history. To add icing to the cake, Green has respect throughout the league, being voted to the Pro Bowl in every season of his career.
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While Green certainly could’ve gotten more money in free agency, his heart is in Cincinnati. One of the top players in the league and the top player on the team, Green has mentioned time and time again that he
was not worried about his contract
. Green knew he wanted to stay in Cincinnati and he also knew that Cincinnati needs to focus its attention on signing more of its players to long-term deals.
Now that Green is locked up, the next player in line will be safety George Iloka, one of the NFL’s best young safeties. The young, smart and explosive player is the next priority in Cincinnati but, that can wait until after the season. It is a great moment to be a Bengals fan; a front office notorious for not handing out the big money to big players has certainly done so, and the face of the Bengals franchise will now be in Cincinnati until at least 2019.