NFL Rumors: Philadelphia Eagles Could Be The Best Fit For A.J. Green In 2020

A.J. Green could find a new home in Philadelphia next season, a new report speculates.

The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver is expected to be a hot commodity when he hits free agency next year, with a number of teams likely vying for his services. ESPN‘s Field Yates noted that the Philadelphia Eagles may be the best fit, a team that has one of the worst-performing wide receiver corps in 2019 but one that could be a strong division contender with an upgrade like Green.

“Even understanding that many of Philly’s struggles this year at wide receiver have been about injury, it’s still a major need,” Yates wrote. “Green — himself out this season because of an ankle injury — is such a terrific talent and the type of player who would help rectify this offense’s problems in a hurry.”

As NJ.com reported, the Eagles have struggled a bit with picking up veteran wide receivers, noting that Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson have been hampered by injuries. This has forced the team to rely on the much less talented core of Robert Davis, Greg Ward, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the report noted.

But the Eagles, or any other team planning on going after Green, would still likely have to contend with the Bengals. The All Pro wide receiver has said he likes playing for Cincinnati and wants to finish his career there. The fact that the Bengals opted to hold rather than deal him at the NFL trade deadline also seemed to indicate that the Bengals were hoping to sign a long-term deal with Green.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIi5K0GICeU

As the SB Nation blog Cincy Jungle noted, the Bengals have also appeared to be very careful with Green in not rushing him back from injury and giving him the opportunity to fully rehab.

“Allowing Green to rehab at his own pace and get back into a game when he says he is ready is showing good faith to a quality employee,” the report noted. “In any business, this is the type of practice that builds loyalty among the workforce—especially when it comes to contracted workers.”

With only three weeks left in the season, there is an increasing likelihood that the Bengals will close the door on Green playing this year, and instead focus on keeping him healthy and getting him ready to play in 2020. That would seem to be more evidence that the team envisions keeping Green for the long term.