Five Bengals that could be playing their final game in stripes this Sunday

Bengals that could be on their way out: Wide receiver A.J. Green

If the thought of A.J. Green playing for a team besides the Bengals doesn’t pull on your heartstrings, there’s not much that will. The stellar wideout has stuck with the franchise through thick and thin, always maintaining the position that he wanted to play for Cincinnati his entire career.

Green has kept the Bengals’ offense churning throughout his tenure, reeling in 649 passes for 9,430 yards and 65 touchdowns. In other words, he’s been downright electric when healthy.

Unfortunately, the 32-year-old pass-catcher hasn’t seemed to fit in with the new-look Bengals squad as much as everyone had hoped. On the season, he only has 523 receiving yards and two touchdowns, statistics that don’t match up with the hefty cost of the franchise tag he commands.

At this point, it’s difficult to imagine the two parties coming to an agreement once the season is up. For the Bengals, they now have young playmakers such as Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd ready to take the lions’ share of the targets. For Green, a change of scenery could help him discover his once-dominant form and allow him to chase a championship in the more immediate future.

Much like Atkins, Green has been an absolute pillar of the franchise- both on the field and in the community. If the Bengals indeed plan to allow him to walk this offseason, the gameplan against Baltimore should center around him one last time to allow him to break the franchise record for receiving touchdowns and remind the world why he’s earned the nickname “Raven Killer”.