It's never easy to call it a career. Don't believe us? Go talk to Tom Brady. But for other NFL players, the decision is made only once. For A.J. Green, who spent many years as one of the top wide receivers in the league, the time to hang up his cleats came after a rough 2022 season with the Arizona Cardinals. After 12 seasons, the former Georgia Bulldogs legend was done. Green has officially retired from the NFL.
A.J. Green: A Gridiron Legend from Athens to Arizona
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
After a successful high school career for Summerville High in Summerville, South Carolina, Green was named by Sports Illustrated as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2008. With that kind of acclaim, Green could've selected any school of his choosing, and he certainly had some serious suitors including Clemson, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida State, to name a few. The school of his choosing turned out to be the University of Georgia.
"I just felt the best about Georgia and the most comfortable at Georgia," Green told USA Today. "I just love Georgia. I grew up a Georgia fan and I really like the coaching staff. I gave (Bulldogs head coach) Mark Richt my commitment back in July when I took an unofficial visit down there," he continued. "Me, my mom, my dad, and some other members of my family went down there in the middle of July and that is when I gave my commitment."
The rest, as they say, was history.
In his college career, Green averaged eight touchdowns a season and over 800 passing yards in his three seasons in Athens. Although his Georgia teams weren't successful enough to snag a national championship, Green was good enough to ascend NFL boards all the way up to become the fourth-overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. That NFL Draft was full of talent, with Cam Newton being selected first overall, followed by Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, Green, Patrick Peterson and Alabama's Julio Jones. For the next decade, Jones and Green would go head-to-head as the league's two best wideouts and two of the top fantasy football targets among fans.
Unfortunately for Green, he was with the Cincinnati Bengals during their playoff struggles and failed to win a playoff game in Cincy before leaving in free agency in 2021. Had he stayed with the Bengals, it's possible he could've helped Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Instead, he was watching at home after his Arizona Cardinals lost in the opening round to the eventual Super Bowl champions. In that game, Green had three targets for zero yards.
Following a disastrous 2022 season in Arizona, Green called it a career after 12 seasons on the gridiron.
From all of us at FanBuzz and every NFL fan who ever rostered the star wideout on their fantasy squad, we wish A.J. Green a happy retirement. You earned it! We can't wait to see what's next for the Georgia star and the NFL legend!
