The Cincinnati Bengals are a bad football team. Like, really bad.

On Monday night, the Bengals lost a battle of two winless AFC North teams, as they were routed by the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 27-3, dropping them to 0-4 on the season.

Cincinnati's playoff hopes have already pretty much been dashed, not that the Bengals were ever considered a postseason contender going into the 2019 campaign to begin with.

The offense is bad, the defense might be even worse and first-year head coach Zac Taylor looks completely in over his head.

Before everyone jumps on Taylor's case, it's not his fault, because there is just an overall lack of talent on this club that is hard to ignore.

The Bengals are going nowhere fast, which is why they should seriously look into trading wide receiver A.J. Green, who has spent his entire nine-year NFL career in Cincinnati and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons.

The problem is, Green has not played yet this year due to an ankle injury, and with the 31-year-old in the final year of his contract, it might be best if the two sides just parted ways now.

The Bengals are still a few years away from resembling anything close to contenders, and while Tyler Boyd and Green could form a lethal receiving duo moving forward, Green's best years may very well be behind him.

Let's remember that Green only played in nine games last season due to a toe injury, so it's entirely possible that the wide out is breaking down.

Article Continues Below
Related News
Cincinnati Bengals Trey Hendrickson speaks at a press conference after practice, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Downtown Cincinnati.
Bengals rumors: Insider offers cryptic Trey Hendrickson outlookRichard Pereira ·
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (92) tackles Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) in the third quarter of the NFL game at M&T Banks Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
NFL makes admission about Joe Burrow’s Ravens complaintBen Strauss ·
Trey Hendrickson, Bengals
Bengals’ riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseasonDouglas Fritz ·
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) hangs his head on the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 9 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns.
Bengals’ contract issues mount with Trey Hendrickson, Shemar Stewart holdoutsJosh Davis ·
image thumbnail
Bears’ perfect Trey Hendrickson trade proposal to BengalsDouglas Fritz ·
Trey Hendrickson in a Lions uniform. He is surrounded by question mark emojis. There are also logos for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Detroit Lions.
Lions trade proposal lands Trey Hendrickson in Bengals blockbusterBen Strauss ·

He is due back at some point this season, so he could help another contending team once he returns, and in NFL where in-season trades are becoming more and more common, it would make sense for Cincy to explore the market to see what it can get for him.

Make no mistake: Green has value. When healthy, he is one of the best receivers in football, and there are plenty of teams around the league who would love to add him.

The Bengals may very well end up losing him for nothing next offseason if they don't trade him now. Green seems happy in Cincinnati and has said he wants to stay, but can the Bengals afford to beat out other clubs in terms of his next contract?

Cincinnati is in a spot where it needs to start saving money and assembling draft picks and young talent rather than trying to pay aging veterans. The Bengals are going on four straight years without a playoff appearance, and things seem to be getting worse and worse.

Taylor is the beginning of a new era in Cincinnati. Marvin Lewis was at the helm for almost two decades, but now, it's time for the Bengals to start a complete teardown.

That means they should be looking for a new quarterback (sorry, Andy Dalton), and they should also be seeking to extract the most value possible out of their top trade chips.

One of those chips is Green.