Sports
A.J. Green Trade Rumors: Bengals Tell Teams They Won’t Deal WR at 2019 Deadline
AJ Mast/Associated PressIt sounds as though wide receiver A.J. Green will remain in Cincinnati, at least through the 2019 season.According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, teams have “called” to enquire about the availability of Green ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline but have been told the Bengals “aren’t trading him.”The Bengals have…
AJ Mast/Associated Press
It sounds as though wide receiver A.J. Green will remain in Cincinnati, at least through the 2019 season.
According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, teams have “called” to enquire about the availability of Green ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline but have been told the Bengals “aren’t trading him.”
The Bengals have been fairly clear on the Green front that he isn't going to be moved:
Ben Baby @Ben_Baby
Yesterday, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team was willing to “listen to anything” ahead of the Oct. 29 trade deadline. However, he made it clear again that A.J. Green is not getting moved.
Green, 31, has yet to play this season as he recovers from an ankle injury. He's gunning for a Week 10 return, per Omar Kelly of the NFL Network:
Omar Ruiz @OmarDRuiz
AJ Green won’t play today, but told me he is feeling better. Gets some pregame work here in London. https://t.co/nZ8RYgOMUz
Omar Ruiz @OmarDRuiz
AJ Green says he’s hopeful he’ll make his return after the bye, & sounded confident he’ll be able to do so. Said he just has to make sure his ankle can do everything he wants & make sure the injury won’t linger.
But with the 0-7 Bengals limping toward a top-five pick and Green set to hit free agency after the 2019 season, there have been questions whether the team would make him available in trade talks.
To this point, it appears the Bengals are uninterested in doing so, a stance that is a bit surprising given the above context:
Field Yates @FieldYates
Acknowledging that he means a ton to the franchise and is currently hurt, the fact that the rebuilding and 0-7 Bengals have no interest in trading 31-year old A.J. Green in the final year of his deal when teams are paying premium prices for WRs is still so confusing.
Andrew Siciliano @AndrewSiciliano
If a 30-year-old Mohamed Sanu can net the Falcons a 2nd round pick, what could the Bengals get for a 31-year-old A.J. Green?
Granted, it's possible that the Bengals are trying to ramp up the price for Green by playing hard to get, though Green's injury history and looming free agency may limit any incoming offers. The seven-time Pro Bowler missed six games in 2016, seven games last season and every game thus far this season for the Bengals.
When he's been on the field he's remained highly productive, catching 75 passes for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns in his last full season in 2017. It wasn't one of his vintage campaigns, though Green has registered at least 1,000 receiving yards in six of his first eight seasons.
Last year, injuries prevented him from reaching that milestone, catching 46 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns.
Nonetheless, teams around the NFL in need of wideout depth will surely have interest. It may fall on deaf ears, however, as Cincinnati has somewhat surprisingly maintained it won't trade Green.
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