Dec 29, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) makes a catch getting away from Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith (22) during the first quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals exercised a fifth-year option on wide receiver A.J. Green, according to reports Monday.
Green ranks second all-time in receiving yards for a player through his first three seasons. He has caught 260 passes for 3,833 yards. He had a career-high 1,426 receiving yards last season.
Green was eligible for the fifth-year option because he was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2011 draft.
Per stipulations outlined in the latest collective bargaining agreement, players drafted in the first round can be offered a fifth year on their four-year rookie deals.
According to ESPN.com, receivers given transition tags in 2014 are slated to make $10.1 million. Green would be similarly compensated in his fifth year, which would officially begin next March. This coming season, Green will be paid $6.3 million on the last year of a four-year, $20 million first contract.
