In Bengals news today, Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver A.J. Green is quite happy that the team decided to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, "A.J. Green told reporters Monday he was glad the Cincinnati Bengals had picked up his fifth-year option, keeping him on their roster at least through the 2015 season."
"It's a good thing they picked it up," Green said with a smile on his face. "It would have been a bad thing if they didn't."
A.J. Green will make $6.4 million in the fourth year of his contract in 2014. That number will skyrocket to around $10.2 million come 2015 -- the year which the Bengals just exercised his option for.
With the fifth-year option in place, the Cincinnati Bengals can relax on contract talks with Green. Green is eligible to receive the franchise tag after the 2015 season, so the Bengals could delay long-term extension talks as far out as after the 2016 NFL season.