Bengals should deal AJ Green to acquire assets

The Cincinnati Bengals should do both themselves and wide receiver AJ Green a favor. Trade him.

On the surface, it sounds like lunacy. The Bengals are trying to build toward winning a championship for the first time in franchise history. Hell, they are trying to win a playoff game for the first time since 1990, breaking the NFL’s longest current drought.

However, trading A.J. Green would move them toward doing so. Yes, he’s the best player on the team, but he’s also 30 years old. While turnarounds can be swift in the NFL, Cincinnati is nowhere near winning a Super Bowl. In fact, it’s far more likely to be picking in the top five of next year’s NFL Draft than it is to be competing for the postseason come December.

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With only one year left on his current contract, AJ Green is imminently tradable. The contract only calls for a cap hit of $15.176 million in 2019, which while large, is not enormous considering the talent. In his eight pro seasons, Green has amassed at least 1,000 receiving yards on six occasions, notching 63 touchdowns and 14.8 yards per reception. In short, he’s an elite player who has been saddled with Andy Dalton his entire career.

Still, Green hopes to remain in the Queen City beyond this season.

“Cincinnati is home for me,” Green said on Friday, per Fox 19. “This is home as much as South Carolina. All I know is Cincinnati. I can’t see myself playing anywhere else or playing in a different city. Hopefully I can be here for a couple more years. We’ll see on that part.”

For the Bengals, Green is one of the biggest trade chips they have. Cincinnati wouldn’t be able to get a first-round pick for the former University of Georgia product, but he’s certainly worth a second-round choice. Considering how many players the Bengals need to rebuild last year’s 32nd-ranked defense, that’s a good start.

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Additionally, Green is soon exiting the prime of his career. It may already be happening, as Green has only reached the 1,000-yard threshold in one of his past three seasons. He’s also increasingly dealing with injuries, sidelining him for seven games last season and six in 2016.

Paying Green with another long-term deal wouldn’t make sense for the Bengals. They need young assets and the draft capital to acquire them. Green is a perfect start in that quest, even if it means the team being worse off in the short term.