A.J. Green

Bengals Place A.J. Green On IR

December 31st, 2016 at 10:36am CST by Ben Levine

A.J. Green‘s season is officially over. Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter) that the star wideout has been placed on the injured reserve. The team has promoted offensive lineman Trey Hopkins from the practice squad to take Green’s roster spot.

It appeared that Green was going to make his return from a hamstring injury last weekend, but the organization abruptly announced that the wideout would miss the contest. This caused a bit of drama in the locker room, as Green and his teammates were preparing for the receiver to take the field for the first time since mid-November. Reports indicated that ownership made the decision to keep Green out of the game in an attempt to prevent any further injury.

Despite the fact that the “rug got pulled out from under” the squad, Green denied reports that he was unhappy with the organization. Still, the wideout wasn’t spotted at the Bengals facility this week. ESPN.com’s Bob Holtzman reported that it’s “rare” for an injured player to be absent for so long.

Green finished the 2016 season with 66 receptions for 964 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time in the 28-year-old’s six-year career that he didn’t finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Despite the career-low numbers, Green was still selected as a Pro Bowler for the sixth time.

Hopkins joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2014. The 24-year-old offensive guard was active for the Bengals Week 1 matchup against the Jets, but he didn’t end up taking the field. Hopkins could make his NFL debut this weekend.

AFC Notes: Bouye, RG3, Green, Jets, Nelson

December 25th, 2016 at 9:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Entering this season as a relative unknown, Texans fourth-year corner A.J. Bouye may have moved himself in position to sign a lucrative NFL contract for the first time. A UDFA in 2013 that started just eight games total before 2016, Bouye has stood out on a team that made far bigger investments at corner. A deal for Bouye could cost a team as much as $8MM-per-year in 2017, the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson notes.

Wilson describes a growing buzz around the physical defender, who could join Trumaine Johnson, Prince Amukamara, Stephon Gilmore and Darius Butler among the list of cornerbacks who stand tot be UFAs. Bouye rates behind only Chris Harris, Malcolm Butler and Aqib Talib among corners this season, according to Pro Football Focus, and will have the chance to stand out on a national stage in a home playoff game.

The Texans have two corners who stand to make more than $7MM next season in Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph. Separating from Jackson would be more difficult financially than Joseph if Houston wished to retain Bouye since $4.5MM in dead money would match the amount the team could save by making that move. Houston stands to have $17MM-plus in cap space prior to making any offseason moves.

PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranked Bouye ninth among all players on his free agent power rankings.

Here’s more from the AFC.

Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered a concussion on Saturday, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. His status for Week 17 is not immediately clear. RG3 missed most of this season with a shoulder injury but did become the only Browns QB to start in a win. However, the Browns gave Cody Kessler — the expected Week 17 starter, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal — several starts this season and have a decision to make on Griffin. He’s due a relatively small $750K roster bonus in March and would count $9.25MM against Cleveland’s 2017 cap. The Browns could afford that, but Griffin didn’t give them much reason to trust him in 2016.
Andy Dalton confirmed a Saturday report that ownership made the decision to yank A.J. Green from the Bengals‘ Week 16 game plan, sending the wideout home for Christmas at his request, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. “He felt like he was in position [to help the team with a return] and the ownership made a decision,” Dalton said. “Would I have loved to have him out there? Absolutely. But the decision was made.”
Bryce Petty also is uncertain for Week 17 after hearing a pop in his shoulder during the Jets‘ loss to the Patriots. The second-year passer left the stadium with his shoulder in a sling and will undergo a Christmas Day MRI, Daryl Slater of NJ.com reports. Ryan Fitzpatrick could be called on to make one more start for Gang Green in the event the team holds Petty out against the Bills. Todd Bowles didn’t dismiss a Christian Hackenberg start, but the rookie has not played in a game this season.
By intercepting his fifth pass of the season today, Raiders safety Reggie Nelson earned a $250K incentive bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the first season of a two-year contract with Oakland, Nelson made the Pro Bowl for a second straight year and now has 13 INTs in the past two seasons.

Zach Links contributed to this report

A.J. Green Won’t Play Tonight, Likely Done For Season

December 24th, 2016 at 2:33pm CST by Ben Levine

2:33pm: Although the Bengals aren’t gunning for a playoff spot in Week 16 for the first time since 2010, the coaching staff still had Green embedded in its Week 16 game plan. This decision came down from ownership, Bob Holtzman of ESPN.com reports. “The rug got pulled out from under us,” one source told the reporter, who characterizes some in the organization as being unhappy about this course of action.

Green still made the Pro Bowl but will finish 36 yards shy of his sixth 1,000-yard season in as many tries. Cincinnati, though, has Green signed through the 2019 season and evidently doesn’t view these final two games of a lost season as worth the risk for its cornerstone skill-position player.

11:55am: Following news that Green would likely be shut down for the season, many assumed it was the Bengals’ attempt at keeping Green out of harm’s way as the organization switched their focus to next season.

Well, while that certainly holds merit, it may not be the entire story. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Green doesn’t only have a partially torn hamstring. The wideout has also suffered a partially torn tendon that is still healing.

8:57am: A.J. Green is out for tonight’s game, and it sounds like the star wideout’s season is over. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Green will not play in tonight’s game against the Texans, and he notes that the organization isn’t planning on playing the wideout in either of the team’s two remaining games. This is a bit of surprise, as we heard earlier this week that Green was planning on playing this weekend.
Green suffered a hamstring tear in late November, and initial reports hinted that the receiver was going to miss the remainder of the season. However, subsequent reports indicated that the tear wasn’t as severe as initially thought, leading to some optimism that Green would see the field again this season. The wideout added more fuel to that fire with his quotes earlier this month.

“I want to get back,” he said. “No matter what type of season we have, I’m not the type of guy to cash it in. So, whenever it’s ready, I’ll be ready to go. But, I’m not going to rush it because I’m not going to have this be a continuing issue.”

If Green is unable to suit up for the rest of the season, he’ll fall 36 yards short of his sixth-straight 1,000-yard campaign. In 10 games this season, the wideout hauled in 66 catches for 964 yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals have relied on wideouts Brandon LaFell and rookie Tyler Boyd during Green’s absence.

The 5-8-1 Bengals have struggled through injuries this season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Running back Giovani Bernard tore his ACL in late November, ending his campaign early. Tight end Tyler Eifert missed the team’s first six games after struggling through ankle and back injuries, and the Bengals will be sitting the 26-year-old for tonight’s game. To make matters worse, starting running back Jeremy Hill is listed as questionable for this evening’s contest.

Bengals WR A.J. Green To Return Saturday

December 22nd, 2016 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

A.J. Green tells reporters that he will return from injury on Saturday. Green has missed multiple games with a hamstring injury.

“I want to get back,” he said earlier this month. “No matter what type of season we have, I’m not the type of guy to cash it in. So, whenever it’s ready, I’ll be ready to go. But, I’m not going to rush it because I’m not going to have this be a continuing issue.”

The Bengals are not in the playoff mix this year, but Green is a competitor and has been pushing to come back this season. Initially, few thought that a 2016 comeback would be possible. The first reports on Green indicated that he had suffered a complete hamstring tear but further tests showed that it was not quite as severe.

The 5-8-1 Bengals face the Texans on Saturday. They wrap up the season on Jan. 1 at home against the Ravens. If the season ended today, the Bengals would own the No. 10 overall pick in the draft.

With 36 more yards, Green can hit 1,000 yards on the season. That would be his sixth-straight season with 1,000+.

AFC Notes: Tannehill, Pitta, Green, Chargers

December 12th, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Tannehill will get a second opinion on his knee Tuesday after learning earlier today he didn’t tear an ACL but rather sprained his ACL and MCL. The plan for now is for the Dolphins to trot out backup Matt Moore in the next two games in which Tannehill will definitely not play, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports, and give the franchise passer a chance to stabilize the knee before contemplating a potential Week 17 return against the Patriots.

Salguero notes if the Week 17 game against the Patriots is meaningful for the Dolphins’ playoff hopes and Tannehill wouldn’t risk long-term knee damage, Adam Gase will hound his training staff with questions and consider starting him in a game that could well have home-field advantage on the line for the Pats. However, Salguero notes Tannehill’s ACL is partially torn since it’s been categorized as a sprain, and there will likely be a risk of a full tear if he returns in three weeks.

Additionally, if Tannehill cannot recover in time for the New Year’s Day tilt, the Dolphins will keep him on the roster in 2017 to guarantee $14.5MM of his salary next season. The team will reinstall the former first-round pick as its starting quarterback next season, Salguero writes, with the Jay Cutler talk no longer being a possibility despite Tannehill’s cap number escalating from $11.6MM to $20.3MM.

Here’s more from the AFC.

It’s time for the Bills to bench Tyrod Taylor and install Cardale Jones as the starter, ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak opines. The Bills, of course, have to decide on Taylor this offseason and it would behoove them to know what they have in their young backup. “He’s working hard,” offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said recently of Jones. “He’s a gunslinger, strong arm. You watch him in scout team, we evaluate his reps in scout team. He’s putting the ball in the right places. He’s accurate. I think his development is coming along fine.” Recently, GM Doug Whaley insisted that he won’t be turning things over to Jones, but things could be different after yesterday’s loss to Pittsburgh. The Bills are now 6-7 with slim odds of reaching the postseason.
Matt Forte is day-to-day after hyper-extending his right knee, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. Although the Jets starter heard “cracking and popping” before the knee swelled, Forte was confident there was no ligament damage. Bilal Powell totaled 179 yards from scrimmage and two TDs in relief. Forte has played in all 13 Jets games this season; he’s only missed three contests in a single campaign twice and never more than four.
Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta will max out his incentives for 2016, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. Under the terms of his reworked contract, Pitta’s salary was cut from $5MM to $1MM, but the Ravens added $3MM in incentives to help bridge the gap. The 31-year-old needed to catch 60 passes for a $1MM receptions incentive and he’s already topped that with 61. He also has to appear in 50% of the team’s snaps for the other $2MM and he’s in line to do that as well.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis says wide receiver A.J. Green expects to return to practice on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). With Cincinnati sitting at 5-7-1, a Green return would be more important to fantasy players than the Bengals’ 2016 season at this point. Green has missed the past three games with a severe hamstring injury. He sits 36 yards away from a sixth straight 1,000-yard slate.
Continuing on the injury front, Melvin Gordon has both a hip strain and a left knee sprain, Eric Williams of ESPN.com notes. Gordon underwent microfracture surgery on the same knee this offseason. The Chargers fell to 5-8 after losing to the Panthers on Sunday, and although Gordon wants to finish the season, his injury history may point to the Bolts exercising caution here. Gordon didn’t finish the 2015 season due to injury and then had surgery. If Gordon’s season ends after 13 games, he’ll finish three rushing yards shy of 1,000 in a bounce-back year. Mike McCoy said that number will have no bearing on whether the second-year back returns in 2016.
The NFL has suspended Chargers defensive end Tenny Palepoi for four games for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Zach Links contributed to this report

AFC Notes: Green, Broncos, Raiders

December 2nd, 2016 at 6:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is progressing in his recovery from the hamstring injury he suffered Nov. 20, but he’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Eagles, according to Bob Holzman of ESPN. Although the 3-7-1 Bengals are all but out of playoff contention, the five-time Pro Bowler has no plans to shut himself down for the season. “I want to get back,” he told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “No matter what type of season we have, I’m not the type of guy to cash it in. So, whenever it’s ready, I’ll be ready to go. But, I’m not going to rush it because I’m not going to have this be a continuing issue.”

Bengals’ A.J. Green Not Ruled Out For Season

November 21st, 2016 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for the Bengals. Wide receiver A.J. Green did not suffer a full hamstring tear, as initially feared (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). According to one source, he’ll probably miss a few weeks and won’t require surgery. The hamstring only has a small tear/strain, so he may be able to play through it. Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets that Green will miss this week’s game against the Ravens.

Green gave fans everywhere a major scare when he was carted off the field early in Sunday’s contest between the Bengals and Bills. In the midst of another incredible season, that looked to be the end of Green’s year. Now, Green can be back for the home stretch of the regular season. The Bengals are not technically out of the playoff running, but it will take a lot for them to go from 3-6-1 to a playoff berth.

For the sixth consecutive season, Green has put up elite receiving numbers. The 28-year-old has hauled in 66 receptions this year for 964 yards and four touchdowns. In fact, even though he failed to collect a catch during yesterday’s contest, Green still ranks in the top-five in receptions and receiving yards. The 2011 first-round pick has only missed four regular season games in his career, including three in 2014 as he recovered from a toe injury.

In Green’s absence, the Bengals will be forced to rely on wideouts Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd. LaFell, 30, was signed by the Bengals this offseason, and the veteran has compiled 33 receptions for 419 yards and four touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, the Bengals used their second-round pick to select Boyd, a Pittsburgh standout. The rookie had been relatively quiet through the first two months of the season, although he did catch his first touchdown yesterday.

The Bengals offense took another hit yesterday, as running back Giovani Bernard tore his ACL. The 24-year-old is expected to miss the rest of the season.

A.J. Green Has “Significant” Hamstring Tear

November 20th, 2016 at 3:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green left today’s game against the Bills in the first quarter after suffering an injury, and a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that Green is dealing with a “significant” hamstring tear, and the Bengals fear Green may be lost for the season, according to Geoff Hobson of the team’s website (Twitter link). Green will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of the damage, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, but Rapoport says that the situation is “not good.”

Losing Green for any amount of time could signify a death knell for the Bengals, who now sit at 3-6-1 after narrowly falling to Buffalo earlier today. By any indication, Green is Cincinnati’s best offensive player, as he ranks second in the league with 964 receiving yards while adding four touchdowns. With Green sidelined, the Bengals will be forced to turn to an uninspiring set of wide receiver options, a list that includes Brandon LaFell, James Wright, and rookies Tyler Boyd, Alex Erickson, and Cody Core. If forced to add a pass-catcher from its practice squad, Cincinnati could look at either Jake Kumerow or Alonzo Russell.

Despite the Bengals’ unimpressive record, the club is still in playoff contention thanks to the poor play of the rest of the AFC North. A wild card berth is probably out of the question, but even after today’s loss, Cincinnati sits only 1.5 games behind the Ravens and Steelers in the division standings. The Bengals will have the opportunity to close that gap as the season closes, as four of the team’s final six games come against AFC North foes.

Newton, Peterson, Others Get Salary Guarantees

March 11th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Friday, the third day of the league year. Let’s check in some of those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

Cam Newton, quarterback (Panthers): $13MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed. Friday is also the deadline for the Panthers to pick up Newton’s 2020 option for $10MM.
Eli Manning, quarterback (Giants): $17.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Jay Cutler, quarterback (Bears): $16MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Adrian Peterson, running back (Vikings): $7MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Julio Jones, wide receiver (Falcons): $11.5MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
A.J. Green, wide receiver (Bengals): $6MM roster bonus is payable.
Brandon Marshall, wide receiver (Jets): $9.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Mike Iupati, guard (Cardinals): $6.75MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of Iupati’s $8MM base salary for 2017.
Rodney Hudson, center (Raiders): $7.35MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle (Buccaneers): $13.25MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle (Bills): $9.75MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
Justin Houston, linebacker (Chiefs): $14.75MM of Houston’s $14.9MM base salary in 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $6.75MM of his $16.35MM base salary for 2017.
DeAndre Levy, linebacker (Lions): $5.25MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
Aqib Talib, cornerback (Broncos): $8.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bengals Sign A.J. Green To Extension

September 11th, 2015 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

5:15pm: Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has the full details of Green’s deal with Cincy. Green will get a $15MM roster bonus, with all money paid out by Jan. 31, 2016. His base salaries: $11.75MM in 2015, $3.8MM in 2016, $10.3MM in 2017, $10.55MM in 2018, $11.976MM in 2019. Green will be eligible for a $200,000 workout bonus in both 2016 and ’19. He’ll also receive a $6MM roster bonus if he’s on the active roster come the third day of the 2016 league year.

1:21pm: The Bengals have made it official, announcing that Green has been extended through the 2019 season (Twitter link).

12:20pm: With a late-afternoon deadline looming, the Bengals and A.J. Green will beat the clock, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a contract extension. Green becomes the latest star wideout to receive a new deal this summer, in the wake of extensions for Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones and T.Y. Hilton.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Green’s extension will be a four-year deal worth $60MM, which would give him an average annual salary of $15MM. That figure likely doesn’t include his 2015 salary of $10.176MM, which would bring the total value of his next five years to about $70MM, and we’ll have to wait for further details to find out whether $60MM represents the base value or max value. But it appears Green did very well, exceeding the $14MM-per-year salaries that Thomas and Bryant landed.

Owczarski wrote yesterday that, while the Bengals were willing to meet that $14MM+ benchmark in terms of annual salary, the guaranteed money involved in the agreement may be a sticking point. Cincinnati is typically reluctant to give out significant guaranteed money on contract extensions, with even quarterback Andy Dalton getting a modest $17MM guarantee on his new $96MM deal last year.

It will be interesting to see what portion of Green’s new pact is fully guaranteed up front, and how much is guaranteed for injury only. Rapoport tweets that the Bengals “stepped up with significant first-year money” in order to make up for not guaranteeing as much. The club traditionally doesn’t do full guarantees beyond the first year of a contract, and Green’s fifth-year option for 2015 had already been guaranteed.

The fourth overall pick out of Georgia in 2011, Green has made four consecutive Pro Bowls since entering the league. After catching 97 balls in 2012 and 98 in 2013, he was slowed down last year with injuries, finishing with 1,041 yards and six touchdowns on 69 receptions. With the 2015 season about to get underway, the 27-year-old looks healthy and poised for a big year, so it wasn’t surprising that the Bengals wanted to get something done before Week 1.

The star wideout had said earlier in the summer that he’d be willing to play out the final year of his rookie contract, while the team seemed more eager to work something out this year. If he hadn’t agreed to an extension in 2015, Green would have been a strong candidate for the franchise tag in the winter, at which time the two sides would have re-engaged in negotiations on a multiyear deal.

Instead, the Bengals will have Green locked up through the 2019 season, at which point he’ll be eligible for free agency again. If Green’s contract expires after ’19 without a second extension in place, he’d be eligible to hit the open market at age 31.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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