Arizona Cardinals wide receiver A.J. Green has announced on his Instagram account that he has retired from the game of football.
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Green was one of the best wideouts of his generation and a few injuries robbed him the chance of going even higher as one of the all-timers across any generation.
He made the Pro Bowl each of his first seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, averaging 79 catches, 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns per year across that stretch.
In 2018, he injured the big toe in his right foot and went on to miss the next three games. To avoid surgery, Green tried to rest it with those games off, but went on to re-aggravate the toe injury in his return. He missed the rest of the season after having surgery for multiple torn ligaments in that toe.
An ankle injury kept him off the field in 2019 before making a return with the Bengals in 2020, his final season in Cincinnati before joining the Cardinals.
Green was one of the biggest weapons in Arizona’s 2021 offense, bringing in 54 receptions for 848 yards and two touchdowns.
Green returned in 2022 and was used far more sporadically, even failing to see the field for some games he was active for. He had 24 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns in his final season.
He finishes his career with 727 catches for 10,514 yards and 70 touchdowns. He ranks 44th on the NFL all-time list for receptions and tied for 49th all-time in receiving touchdowns.
His final game with the Cardinals was a memorable one as the veteran was on the scoring end of a trick play that ended with Green bringing down a jump ball and breaking a tackle en route to a 77-yard touchdown.
Green was the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft and racked up two second-team All-Pro nominations during his career.