Bengals' Kirkpatrick: 'It's going to fall apart' if team trades Green

Rumors of a rebuild continue to swirl around the Cincinnati Bengals after the team suffered its fifth loss in as many games Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

With the trade deadline three weeks away, one name constantly mentioned is that of ninth-year wide receiver A.J. Green. The veteran has already said he prefers to stay in Cincinnati, and his teammates seem to share that sentiment.

"It better not happen. It's going to fall apart if you do that," cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said of the Bengals potentially trading Green, according to team reporter Geoff Hobson. "That's our best player on the team. He's not even out there. We don't know how the team really should look. They can't do that."

Green, 31, suffered an ankle sprain in July and has yet to play this season. The fourth overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft has topped 1,000 yards in six of his first eight years in the league but has missed 18 games since 2016 due to injuries.

"That would really hurt my spirit if he walked out this door," Kirkpatrick added. " … I want everybody to stay. I want to win here. I don't want to go anywhere. I'm not just a player for the Bengals. I do things in the community. A lot of guys in here do."

This is the 10th time the Bengals have lost their first five games of the season and the first since 2008. Their opponents have outscored them 136-80 in 2019.