Cincinnati Bengals Rumors: A.J. Green Could Be Next Receiver In Line For Huge Contract
The Cincinnati Bengals are rumored to have a big bill coming in the form of star receiver A.J. Green’s upcoming contract extension — and he has Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas to thank.
The market for franchise wide receivers appears to have been set with the dual contracts of Dez and Demaryius. The star receivers ended their holdouts late this week, signing deals that were almost identical at five years and $70 million.
But Dez and Demaryius aren’t the only winners with their big deals. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is the next top-tier receiver up for a new contract, and it appears that he has been working with his new highly paid counterparts.
Thomas said Friday that he spoke to Green shortly after signing his deal.
And what did Green have to say?
“Thank you,” Green said, via NFL.com.
Green could be in line for a huge raise. As Benjamin Morris of FiveThirtyEight explained, the contracts of Dez and Demaryius appear to have set a new standard.
“While not quite as precedent-shattering as the $100-million-plus with $50 million(ish) guaranteed that Calvin Johnson — perhaps the premier wide receiver of our time — got in 2012, these are still staggering numbers. This isn’t receiver money, it’s quarterback money. The contract’s $14 million per year average is right around the median for starting quarterbacks, and the guaranteed money is approaching the top 10. In March, two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger signed a new deal with the Steelers, with $31 million guaranteed. Can this possibly be worth it?”
But the Cincinnati Bengals aren’t rumored to be headed toward a holdout with Green, at least not soon. He has said publicly that he’s willing to play out the last year of his deal, but it could mean a big contract for him in the near future.
“In overall dollars it clarifies the market,” Joel Corry, former sports agent as well as NFL contracts and salary cap expert, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “It’s what I’ve been saying since day one: The problem is going to be guaranteed money because of the way Cincinnati structures contracts. Something has to give, big time on this one. If every other receiver is going to be over $40 million guaranteed as a comparable player, A.J. Green is not going to accept a contract with $20 million in guarantees.”
The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t the only team facing contract rumors thanks to Dez and Demaryius signing big deals. The Atlanta Falcons have also been watching closely and will have their own contract talks with Julio Jones in the near future.
[Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
