The Cincinnati Bengals are in a transitional period right now. They finally fired head coach Marvin Lewis after 15 seasons and replaced him with young offensive whizkid Zac Taylor, formerly the quarterbacks coach of the Los Angeles Rams.
Taylor signed up for a full-on rebuild, and the team has a ton of things they need to do before they can compete for a championship. It's a long-term project, and as such, the Bengals should strongly consider trading A.J. Green.
Green is the most valuable asset they have, and would likely fetch them significant draft compensation that they desperately need. Green is already 30 and isn't getting any younger.
He's been a lifelong Bengal, but it's time to move on. They won't be winning anything while he's still in his prime and should trade him while they get the chance. The team is rumored to be considering parting ways with Andy Dalton, and it would make sense to send them both out together.
Green has been banged up the past few years, only playing in eight games this past year after only playing in 10 in 2016. He's set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019 season, and rather than pay him another massive deal; they should start shopping him before his contract is up. With the emergence of Tyler Boyd this past year, the Bengals no longer need Green as much.
Boyd put up 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games, and that was while playing a significant portion of the year with Jeff Driskel as his quarterback. Boyd can slide in seamlessly as Cincy's new number one receiver, and the team could use whatever draft picks they get back for Green on new young players. Their defense is aging fast, and they desperately need fresh blood.
Cincinnati doesn't have many other assets who could fetch them that much in a trade, and the smart play long-term is to deal Green. The Bengals aren't going to win this year, and they likely aren't going to win next year, so they need to fully embrace the rebuild and get younger.
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