Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green did not play a single snap in 2019 due to an ankle injury, but he is still one of the more attractive free agents on the market.

A host of teams will be looking to upgrade their receiving corps via the NFL Draft or free agency, but there are not a whole lot of quality players available.

Robby Anderson is considered a top target for teams with needs at wideout, which speaks to the lack of depth at the position. Naturally, Green would generate a lot of interest.

But it appears unlikely Green will ever reach free agency. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the team would like to retain the former Pro Bowler, and Green has hinted at accepting the franchise tag (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk):

“He’s a guy we want to be around,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said on a cincinnati.com podcast posted Thursday.

Green previously said he wouldn’t “turn down $18 million” on the franchise tag. That’s exactly what the Bengals are expected to do if they can’t reach a long-term deal with Green, and perhaps, based on Green’s recent injury history, it turns into a win-win for both sides.

The franchise tag would give the Bengals a chance to see if Green can stay healthy, without a long-term commitment, and it would give Green a chance to prove it and re-enter free agency in 2021 looking for even more money.

The bottom line is: Green is not expected to hit free agency.

It seems reasonable the Bengals would want to keep Green around, at least for another season.

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Green is one of the best receivers in the league when healthy, having made the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons. But he also played just nine games in 2018 on top of missing all of 2019.

Still, the Bengals are expected to select LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and they might be wise to retain Green so Burrow has a legitimate receiving threat to work with in his rookie campaign.