Ryan Clark fears for the rest of the NFL if Bill Belichick is able to pull off a certain blockbuster.
A.J. Green’s name has surfaced quite a bit as the league’s trade deadline approaches. Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor bluntly stated last week the franchise isn’t going to shop the star wide receiver, but the window for Green being moved by Oct. 29 probably still is open. Just look at Jalen Ramsey, who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday after the Jacksonville Jaguars for weeks claimed they weren’t interested in dealing the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
It recently was reported the Patriots have interest in both Green and Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert. With Antonio Brown out of the picture and the bulk of New England’s wideouts dealing with injuries, pass-catchers have become a real need for the reigning Super Bowl champs. Green obviously would fill this void in spades, and Clark can’t help but think about the type of production you would see from a Tom Brady-Green tandem.
“Listen, I think a guy like A.J. Green is a fit anywhere,” Clark said Tuesday on ESPN’s “NFL Live.” “When you look at a team like the New England Patriots — I mention them one, because they have a need. Two, the Patriots do things like this. They want to make their team better as the season progresses. Now, the rest of the league would be sick about it, but if you can add a guy like A.J. Green with Tom Brady, we’ve seen what he’s done when he has a No. 1 pass-catcher whether it’s Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski. You add A.J. Green, it’s going to get really scary for a lot of teams that have to face the Patriots.”
The Patriots, as Clark notes, have a propensity to shake things up, and it would be “the ultimate Bill Belichick move,” as NBC Sports’ Mike Florio puts it, to trade for Green. The 31-year-old, whose return from an ankle injury appears to be imminent, is an impending free agent, which means New England would obtain a compensatory 2020 draft pick if it was unable to re-sign Green after trading for him.
Green in all likelihood would be a rental if the Patriots were to acquire him, but it’s probably a risk worth taking for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
