Buffalo Bills

A.J. Green mad at Bengals for not letting him play in Week 16

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:51 p.m. ET

Fansided, John Buhler/Fansided

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green was not happy about being shut down for the rest of the 2016 NFL season by the Bengals front office.

While he thought he was healthy enough to play on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans, the Cincinnati Bengals informed star wide receiver A.J. Green that he would be shut down for the season.

Green was massively disappointed, left the Bengals meeting, and left Houston to go home. Cincinnati will miss the AFC Playoffs for the first time in Green’s six-year NFL career.

The Bengals are 5-8-1 on the season and Green has missed ample time with a leg injury. He hurt himself on a play in the first quarter of the Bengals’ game against the Buffalo Bills. Green is a tremendous competitor, but the Bengals front office wants to save Green from himself.

The Cincinnati brass knows that Green is by far and away the Bengals’ most valuable offensive player. When healthy, Green is one of the five best wide receivers in the NFL. He has thrived in Cincinnati since being drafted No. 4 overall by the Bengals in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The Bengals have had a nightmare of a 2016 NFL season. They have had so many injuries on both sides of the ball and have lost a ton of great coaches the last few seasons. These two have compounded into Cincinnati having its first losing season since Green played in the SEC for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2010.

Leaving Houston to go home may be a bit of an overreaction from Green, but he was really battling to get back in there for the Bengals. He’ll cool down in a couple of days. Green has to realize that this NFL season is a lost cause for his Bengals. Look for him to be back to full strength by OTAs.