A.J. Green thinks he has at least four great years left in him, hopes to play at least 15 seasons
CINCINNATI — A.J. Green was all smiles on Friday afternoon. He had just signed his franchise tender to remain with the Bengals this season.
It's not the long-term deal that he wanted, but understands why he didn't get what he was looking for in negotiations.
"I’ve been hurt. It was always tough to get a deal on," Green said. "Especially [because] I know my value and also, they still need to see me play. I understand that’s a tough place to be when you’re running a business. But like I said, we had great communication. That’s one thing about this whole process. We understand each other. The points that we made, my agent (Ben Dogra) and I, the points Katie (Blackburn) had made, for us the feeling is mutual. I always wanted to envision myself retiring at one team. That’s still on the table. If I stay healthy, we’ll see what happens."
The team is looking forward to revisiting contract talks with Green after the 2020 season.
The soon to be 32-year-old hears the doubters. He still thinks he can play at an elite level for the foreseeable future.
"I got at least four great years left in me," he said without hesitation. "I always said I wanted to play 15 years, but coming now, I'm like, 'Man, maybe I can play more.'
"I still love the game. I still love the practice so when that goes away, then I'll be done."
Green knows he has to stay healthy, not only to secure one more long-term contract, but to also help the Bengals get back to the playoffs.
He led Cincinnati to five straight postseason appearances from 2011-2015. They haven't been back since. That has a lot to do with his inability to stay healthy.
Green has a new trainer that has made it a priority to strengthen the areas that he's injured in recent seasons.
"I've been running routes since February, so my ankle is fine, toe is fine," Green said. "I've been working out this whole offseason. Mr. Curtis, my new guy that works at ADAPT — it's my first time working with him, but we did some awesome things and really tested my ankle this year.
"We did more stuff in testing those ankles, strengthen those ankles, strengthen these toes, learning how to land better. Just little things like that I didn’t do in previous years."
An offseason full of work has Green confident he can still be the reason the Bengals win. He thinks he's the same guy that began his career with seven straight Pro Bowl appearances.
"I still feel the same. My body still feels the same," he said. "My workout, my trainers still say I look the same. So, I feel like for me, I'm not the fastest guy but I am smooth, and I feel like my game translates a lot to when I get older because I don't feel like I'm losing anything. I still work out the same, so I feel still [like] the same A.J. Green from 2014."
