Bengals WR A.J. Green Plans To Play Out Final Year Of Contract Before Addressing Contract

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, citing people who have spoken to Bengals WR A.J. Green, reports that the Pro Bowl receiver intends to play out the 2015 season under the fifth-year option.

• According to Rapoport, Green is still a top contract priority for Cincy, but he’ll wait until next offseason to address his situation.
• Rapoport adds that Green won’t hold out out for a new contract.

This comes just a few days after Green told Coley Harvey of ESPN.com that his contract situation can wait until the end of the year before being addressed.

“You know I watch ESPN all the time, and that’s all they talk about,” Green said, via Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. “But like I say, I’m just here to play football. My body of work will speak for itself.

“I don’t get into all the ‘I need a contract’ stuff,‘” Green added. “I’m not here for money. I’m not broke. So I’m fine. I can wait until the end of the year to get a contract, but I know that time is coming.”

There has been so much talk about extensions for Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, Falcons WR Julio Jones, and Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas, but Green says that he doesn’t think they will ultimately affect him in the end.

“It doesn’t say anything about me,” Green said. “They’re three different teams. Three different people. You don’t know what their situation is. All I can do is control what I can do, and that’s play football. Everything after that takes care of itself.”

Green, 26, is in line for a massive contract extension that will leave him among the highest paid receivers in the NFL.

The Bengals will pay Green a salary of $10.176 million that is guaranteed only for injury and won’t prevent them from working on an extension that would offer some cap relief.

In 2014, Green appeared in 13 games and caught 69 passes for 1,041 yards receiving and six touchdowns for the Bengals. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 15 receiver out of 110 qualifying players.