One person paying close attention to the contract situations of fellow Pro Bowl receivers Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas is A.J. Green.
The Cincinnati Bengals star is entering the final year of his rookie contract and may find himself in a similar situation as his WR brethren next year.
"You know I watch ESPN all the time, and that's all they talk about," Green said Thursday via ESPN.com. "But like I say, I'm just here to play football. My body of work will speak for itself."
Green is slated to earn $10.18 million this season as part of his fifth-year option. He hopes to receive a long-term deal before this season starts, but he knows that isn't realistic at the moment.
"I don't get into all the 'I need a contract' stuff," Green said. "I'm not here for money. I'm not broke. So I'm fine. I can wait until the end of the year to get a contract, but I know that time is coming."
Green and interested Bengals fans should expect one of two things to happen: 1) Green gets a long-term contract extension at some point over the next year or, 2) the Bengals hit him with the franchise tag in March.
Both Bryant and Thomas are currently operating under the franchise tag, though both are still eligible for long-term deals. Their teams have until July 15 to hammer out an agreement, otherwise the two will be playing on one-year contracts.
The franchise-tag tender for receivers this year is slightly less than $13 million. Green's tag number would likely be greater in 2016.
The Bengals pass-catcher may be paying attention to the contract situations of Bryant and Thomas, but he doesn't believe it will impact him.
"It doesn't say anything about me," Green said. "They're three different teams. Three different people. You don't know what their situation is. All I can do is control what I can do, and that's play football. Everything after that takes care of itself."
