Green left the organization after 10 years in 2021 but retired a Bengal with a one-day contract in 2023 and has stayed plugged into what the team has done ever since his departure. The former Georgia Bulldog didn’t mind sharing his opinion on what kind of help is needed now.
“I’m always locked in these last couple years,” Green said. “You know, with my GM skills, I’m going to go edge rusher. Please let a player from Georgia be there so we can get one of those guys. So that’s my hope.”
“Yeah, we don’t need no offensive help,” he added. “We were pretty solid on that side of the ball, so we need to get a Georgia boy and we’ll be fine.”
Credit: Aaron Doster
Credit: Aaron Doster
Green’s GM skills were correct about the franchise selecting an edge rusher. The Bengals chose Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M with the No. 17 overall pick. They have six total picks over the seven-round draft.
Green, like many others, has no concerns about the offense after seeing Cincinnati sign both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term extensions this offseason, after getting a deal done with Joe Burrow in 2023.
“I love it,” Green said. “I think when you have a quarterback like Joe and Chase, we have to keep that core together. I feel like if you kept that core together, you always got a chance. You see that they putting up 30-some points, we just need a little bit of defense to help out.”
Green played with Higgins his last season in 2020 but had already moved on to Arizona when Chase was drafted No. 5 overall in 2021.
Higgins has spoken about how much he looked up to Green as a rookie, and Green said he was aware Higgins was watching everything he did so he just tried to lead by example. Both are similarly quiet personalities.
Green called Higgins an “unbelievable player and unbelievable person” and said he always knew Higgins would be a “big-time receiver” with his big frame and his approach to the game on and off the field.
Credit: Aaron Doster
Credit: Aaron Doster
The 36-year-old father of two sons said he was watching the draft in 2021 when Chase became a Bengal and said he was going to break “all the records.” Chase has already broken a number of single-season records, but Green still holds some of the high marks, including most receiving yards (10,514) and most receiving touchdowns (70) in team history.
Green also holds the record for most Pro Bowl selections (seven) by a Bengals player.
“I was like, good confidence, and he did it, so you can’t be mad at him about that,” Green said. “But you know what they have here is something special with Joe, and I think they all feed off each other and when you’ve got somebody you went to college with and got drafted in the same city. He’s special, and he’s gonna break everybody’s records. So not very mad at that.”
Green said Chase is “just so electric,” not like any other receiver in the game. The connection he and Burrow have is one reason Green thinks the Bengals can win a championship.
“I think we’ve seen that got them to the (championship) game,” Green said. “They could clean up some things, but I know that offense is gonna be fine. Those three guys, core, I think it gives us a chance every year. So as long as Joe is here, as he says, the window is always open.”
Although the Bengals moved on from Green in 2021 with the changing of the guard to Higgins and Chase, he never had bad feelings toward the organization. It’s why he still comes back for events like Thursday’s draft party and why he plans to keep coming back to Cincinnati.
“I’m the person that I always knew the business side, so I never took it personally,” Green said. “I think if you take that approach, you’ll be fine. The Bengals changed my life forever. So, it was no bad feeling. Mr. (Mike) Brown had a great talk with me when I left, so there was never bad blood when I left. I always knew I was going to retire a Bengal.
“They gave me my first shot,” Green added. “Got an extension here. Played 10 years here. So, not a lot of people can say that for same organization, and I got hurt those two years and they never swayed. That says a lot about an organization.”
About the Author