This Eagles-Bengals Trade for AJ Green Could Actually Work
By Jerry Trotta
It's really up for debate if AJ Green would have remained in Cincinnati in 2019 if an ankle injury didn't sideline him for the entirety of the season.
Green has made it known that he would like to be traded, and the Bengals have that opportunity after franchise-tagging him. However, the team will have to move fast if it does indeed intend on dealing the seven-time Pro Bowler. The deadline to trade tagged players is July 15.
Luckily for the Bengals, there remains one notable team that is reportedly still shopping for wide receiver help: the Philadelphia Eagles.
The #Bengals have officially placed the franchise tag on WR AJ Green, per NFL Network. Cincy made it clear early on that this was their plan. Green played only nine games in 2018 and missed all of last season with an ankle injury.
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) March 16, 2020
AJ Green Contract
Under the franchise tag, Green is projected to make $17.865 million in 2020. We can presume that the Eagles would sign the 31-year-old superstar to a contract extension upon acquiring him, which shouldn't be a problem considering that Philadelphia has $24.6 million in cap space to work with. Additionally, the Eagles could easily offload Alshon Jeffery's expiring contract by including him in the deal.
Report: Alshon Jeffery would welcome a trade out of Philadelphia https://t.co/duBIR0yepz
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 21, 2020
A straight Green-Jeffery swap likely wouldn't suffice for Cincinnati. Since Jeffery can be cut next year, Philadelphia will need to include its 2020 second-round pick. All told, that should be enough to get a deal done here.
The Eagles would get their long-awaited difference-maker at wide receiver for Carson Wentz, and the Bengals would add a capable playmaker for Joe Burrow -- assuming they do select him No. 1 overall -- and a valuable draft pick to aid their ongoing rebuild.