A.J. Green announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday afternoon capping off a 12-year stint in the league. Throughout his career in the NFL, Green was able to stay consistent and be one of the best wide receivers during his first several years in the league. The former Georgia product finished out his career with 727 receptions, 10,514 receiving yards and 70 receiving touchdowns. Green penned a letter to all of those who have helped him and supported him along his journey:
“I’ve never been a man of many words, so I’ll keep this short,” Green wrote. “Thank you. Thank you to all who have supported, encouraged, and inspired me throughout my career. Special thank you to the University of Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals for the opportunity to pursue my dreams. I’ve stayed true to the game and it owes me nothing. Be blessed…Love y’all! The next chapter begins…”
Green’s Playing Days At Georgia:
Green became one of the all-time great Georgia Bulldog during his collegiate career in Athens. Throughout his career with the Bulldogs, Green would eclipse 800 receiving yards in each of his three seasons. He would go on to win Freshman of the Year honors in the SEC and was an All-SEC player all three seasons during his career at Georgia.
Currently, Green ranks second all-time in touchdown receptions and third in receiving yards in the history of the Georgia program. He also would rank fourth in most career receptions. The Summerville, South Carolina native would appear in 32 games in three seasons from 2008-2010. Green would haul in 166 passes for 2,619 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Green was a highly-touted prospect heading into the 2011 NFL Draft and he ended up going in the top five. The star wide receiver would be the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft as the Cincinnati Bengals would land the Georgia product.
Green’s 12-Year Career in the NFL:
Green would continue the momentum from his collegiate career into his professional career with the Cincinnati Bengals as he would quickly become a star. In his rookie season, Green would finish the year with 65 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.
Throughout his career with the Bengals, Green would haul in 649 passes for 9,430 yards and 65 touchdowns. He would become an unstoppable wide receiver during his early playing days with Cincinnati and he was able to consistently produce every year. Green would earn seven-straight Pro Bowls to begin his career in the NFL as he posted six 1,000 yard-plus receiving yards. He will go down as one of the best wide receivers in Bengals history.
Green would spend the last two seasons of his professional career with the Arizona Cardinals, but he wasn’t relied on as much as he was in Cincinnati. He was able to have a successful 2021 campaign with Arizona as he hauled in 54 catches for 848 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. The script started to flip for Green as the Cardinals brought in Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens and his target share would start to decrease.
Green finished the 2022 season with only 24 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. With Green’s announcement coming on Monday afternoon of him retiring it marks the end of a stellar 12-year career and he will go down as one of the best wide receivers to play the game of football.
