A.J Green hurt his ankle in the preseason and has needed a few weeks to come back. The receiver is one of the best in the NFL when healthy, but commands a huge cap hit on a team that’s going nowhere fast.
The Bengals are nearing a rebuilding phase after being mediocre for many years. They even got knocked out two straight years by the Texans in 2015-2016. With a new coaching regime in Cincinnati, Zac Taylor will be looking to create his own team.
What’s left to say about Green? The receiver can still ball if he can get back on the field, and in the last year of his contract, the Bengals may try to get value for him. Now that Tyler Boyd and John Ross are seemingly holding down the fort in his absence, I don’t see why the Bengals won’t at least entertain the idea of trading him.
The question really is how expensive will he be? He’s 31-years old and most receivers start declining around 29-31. Is a third-round pick worth two more years of elite play?
Russell Wilson was a third-round pick to put in perspective what value you can get from a third-round pick. The other question is if the Raiders pull the trigger on this potential trade, is the defense ready enough with Johnathan Abrams out for the year, and a struggling secondary to warrant boosting the offense instead of the defense?