A.J. Green had an undeniably great career
While the University of Georgia is known for its law and education programs, it is also known for producing some legendary NFL players. Champ Bailey, Herschel Walker, and Matthew Stafford are just some of the notable players to suit up for the Bulldogs. While most of these players have already retired, another renowned player has just joined their ranks. That player is wide receiver A.J. Green.
On Monday, Green announced that he was retiring after playing 12 seasons in the NFL.
Green was originally selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 draft. The 6′ 2″ wide receiver provided an elite deep threat for the Bengals and torched shorter cornerbacks. In his first five NFL seasons, Green exploded for more than 1,000 receiving yards and scored double-digit touchdowns in three of them. Green proved himself to be a top 5 wide receiver in the league during that time and was viewed by many as a game-changing player. However, while his first five seasons were glorious, his next five seasons told a much different story.
During the 2016-2018 seasons, Green only managed to have a single 1,000 yard season and only scored 18 touchdowns over that time span. Then in 2019, Green missed the entire season because of a nagging ankle injury he dealt with during the season prior and this would end up becoming the beginning of the end for Green’s tenure in the NFL.
After not playing football for one year, Green came back during the 2020 season and only scored two touchdowns on 47 catches while only racking up 523 receiving yards. It was not what anyone wanted to see from the former All-Pro wide receiver which led to Green parting ways with the Bengals. After hitting free agency, the veteran receiver decided to sign a 0ne-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. Although Green’s better days were behind him, he still felt that he had some juice left in the tank.
Green was right and during his 2021 season, he re-emerged with 54 catches for 848 yards while scoring 3 touchdowns. Although his touchdown numbers weren’t high, Green had an expanded role with the Cards late in the season after an injury to star receiver Deandre Hopkins which led to more targets for the 207-pound receiver.
After being embraced by the Valley, Green decided to return to Arizona on another one-year deal and in his final season in the NFL he had 24 catches for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. While Green did not have eye-poping stats, he gave everyone one last vintage moment in his final game where he caught a 77-yard touchdown after he made a leaping catch over the helmet of an opposing cornerback.
Green was a decorated player who thrived as a physical deep-threat receiver and played a pivotal role in the succession of various Bengals teams throughout much of the 2010 seasons. Green also helped in mentoring the young receiver room when he played as a Cardinal in his final two seasons in the NFL. Green’s impact on the game will not be forgotten and his play will go down as legendary.
