This was originally published in The Athletic.

Maybe the most unfortunate thing about the Bengals’ inability to break their 27 consecutive seasons-and-counting streak of not winning a playoff game is that seven seasons of A.J. Green’s brilliance have gone to waste.

A.J. turns 30 this week as he prepares for his eighth season playing for the team he helped rescue from the depths of its miserable 2010 campaign and the somehow even more miserable offseason that followed. A 30th birthday is a time for both reflection of the past and questions about what’s next. It’s true for any person. It’s definitely true for the face of an NFL franchise.

Green’s 20s were spectacular. Statistically, he’s already one of the top three wide receivers in Bengals history, ranking second on the team’s all-time list in receptions and receiving yards, and third all-time in touchdown catches. That’s all despite playing his entire career with a limited quarterback, and playing in unimaginative, easy-to-defend offenses the last two seasons.

To read more, go to The Athletic. 

(Photo: Getty Images)