Just under two hours from the 11:59 a.m. EST deadline, the Cincinnati Bengals have officially designated A.J. Green as their franchise player. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to announce the move.
The #Bengals informed star WR A.J. Green they're placing the franchise tag on him, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2020
This is the first time the Bengals have utilized the franchise tag since 2013; when they used it on former defensive end Michael Johnson. Johnson left via free agency the following year in 2014 but returned to Cincinnati in 2015, resulting in the Bengals receiving a compensatory pick for Johnson while simultaneously getting him back.