Joe Burrow should push the Cincinnati Bengals on A.J. Green

With the vetting process for both Team Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals due to begin in earnest, one question at the top of the list for the LSU star is the status of wide receiver, A.J. Green.

With Joe Burrow hysteria due to hit a fevered pitch with whatever story drops next, it really is anybody’s guess where this ultimately ends up. But with the NFL Combine due next week, and the obligatory meet and greets that ride tandem, Team Burrow would be smart to ask the Cincinnati Bengals one question: What’s up with A.J. Green?

Hey, it’s an absolutely fair question to ask the team. For Cincinnati, it’s a reasonable question to answer. For Green, he would probably love to know as much as Burrow and the fanbase.

So, what gives Cincinnati?

Burrow, who is all but a lock to be the first pick when the Bengals select on the opening night of the 2020 NFL Draft, has been the subject of a white-hot media light answering questions about whether he would or would not want to play in Cincinnati. One question he should have for the organization as both begin the vetting process is how things stand with the veteran wide receiver.

For his part, Bengal’s head coach Zac Taylor has offered the standard company line. Never deviating, and always trying to coax him back to the locker room.

"“He’s a guy that we’re excited about to have part of this team, first and foremost,” Taylor said. “That’s what matters right now. As we go through the offseason, we’ll figure out how it best fits. But right now, we expect him to be a part of the team. We want him to be a part of the team.”"

It sounds nice, and in all likelihood, the Bengals use the franchise tag even if Green continues to prefer a longer deal.

For Burrow, wanting to know the long term plan for the best player in Cincinnati is reasonable and logical. As he is also a wide receiver and could figure prominently in what the Bengals and Burrow do offensively in 2020, the presumptive first overall pick should want some assurances on the status of Green. Again, a fair and reasonable question.

What Cincinnati plans on doing with a signature piece like Green is important. It’s also likely to be part of the vetting plan as Joe Burrow and the Bengals meet as part of the ramp-up to the draft. How the organization goes about answering the question will say a lot.