Bengals View Extension For WR A.J. Green As Their Top Priority This Year

Bengals WR A.J. Green told ABC 4 that his “time is coming” and he wants to remain in Cincinnati long-term.

“My time is coming,” Green said of an extension with the Bengals, per Paul Dehner Jr. “I want to stay there and I think they are going to get something done.”

Ian Rapoport reports that the Bengals told Green that he’s their “top priority” and they would like to get a long-term deal in place at some point this year.

This comes after Green previously 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. “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.”

I’m sure the new contracts signed by Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas and Cowboys WR Dez Bryant factored into Green’s newfound optimism.

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.