Bengals fans can relax, A.J. Green won’t be pulling a Julio Jones

Bengals fans can take a deep breath because wide receiver A.J. Green won’t hold out for a new contract.

Wide receiver is known as a diva position. They’re known for the look-at-me antics. One wide receiver won’t fall into that mold, A.J. Green.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Green won’t be looking for a new contract despite the fact that fellow receiver Julio Jones is. He supports Jones in his pursuits but just won’t go that route.

They were drafted in the same year, but Green believes his contract is what it is. That’s even though he’s no longer the highest paid player at his position like he was when he signed the deal.

"I think the biggest thing for me, I’m always comfortable with stuff I’m doing – I signed a deal and I’m comfortable with the deal and I just live with it."

When it comes to no longer being the highest paid, he took the logical approach.

"I don’t really get caught up in what’s the money like because I signed my deal and it was the highest paid at that point. It’s going to always go up. So you can’t keep up with that."

Green is one of the best in the game, but he’s not on the level of Jones or Antonio Brown. Green’s contract won’t reach $11 million this season, and it will be just under $12 million in 2019. He then becomes an unrestricted free agent if the Bengals don’t use the franchise tag on him or come to terms on a new deal.

This is a professional way of handling his contract status. He has two years left, and will play out the terms of the deal he signed at the time. He could easily holdout like Jones is doing and seek a new deal because he is worth more than his current contract will pay him compared to his peers at the position.

His team needs him at camp, and holding out is never the right thing, because the players have no leverage. Green clearly understands that. Bengals fans can rest easy. Their receiver will be in camp.