ESPN2 minute read
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver AJ Green announced his retirement on Monday.
“I’ve never been a man of many words, so I’ll keep it brief,” Green began on his Instagram post.
“Thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported, encouraged and inspired me throughout my career. Special thanks to the University of Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals for the opportunity to continue my dreams. I’ve stuck with the game and it owes me nothing. Bless you…I love you all! The next chapter begins…”
Green, 34, played 11 seasons in the NFL after being selected by the Bengals with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The receiver played his first nine seasons for the Bengals and started his career with five straight 1,000-yard seasons. Green only had two seasons with over 900 receiving yards after that streak.
Green ended his time in Cincinnati as one of the most prolific receivers in franchise history.
He was second in the team’s all-time standings in receptions (649), receiving yards (9,430), and touchdowns (65). He also had the most 100-yard receiving games in franchise history (33). His final season on the team was in 2020, when he spent the year on the franchise tag.
He signed back-to-back one-year contracts with the Cardinals before announcing his retirement. Since entering the league in 2011, he’s one of only five wide receivers to amass more than 10,000 receiving yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers Julio Jones and Mike Evans, Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Antonio Brown are the other players in this group.
A two-time All-Pro, Green was selected to seven Pro Bowls and finished with 10,514 yards and 70 career touchdowns.
Information from ESPN’s Ben Baby was used in this report.
