Two NFL teams made offers to Bengals great A.J. Green
A.J. Green stands among the greatest players in Cincinnati Bengals history, a cornerstone wide receiver who defined an era of franchise resurgence after being selected fourth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Georgia. The Summerville, South Carolina, native arrived as a polished route runner with elite size (6-4, 210 pounds) and went on to become one of the most accomplished receivers of his generation before retiring in 2023.
On Thursday at the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Greenville, the 37-year-old Green reflected on life after football and revealed that the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks had reached out informally over the years about a potential return.
“People may be trying to get a rise out of me or some kind of reaction when they say it,” he said when asked about the overtures.
Despite the interest, Green made clear he is content with his decision to walk away. “I’m very much at peace with my NFL career and next chapter,” he said (via The State Newspaper’s Chapel Flower).
The Hall of Fame event honored Green’s roots in South Carolina high school football at Summerville High and his standout college career at Georgia, where he was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2008 and earned first-team All-American honors in 2009 and 2010.
A.J. Green Remains One of the Bengals’ All-Time Greats
Green spent 10 seasons with the Bengals (2011-2020), appearing in 127 regular-season games with 649 receptions for 9,430 yards and 65 touchdowns. In his rookie season he caught 65 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns, setting the Bengals’ single-season rookie receiving yardage record and becoming the first rookie wide receiver to earn a Pro Bowl invitation in eight years.
He earned seven Pro Bowl selections (2011-2017) and two second-team All-Pro honors (2012, 2013) throughout his career, and ranks second in franchise history in career receiving yards and receptions, trailing only Chad Johnson. Green posted six 1,000-yard seasons with Cincinnati and holds the Bengals record for most receiving yards in a single game (224 versus the Saints in 2012).
His consistency and big-play ability helped elevate a franchise that had endured years of mediocrity; he was the clear No. 1 target for quarterbacks Andy Dalton and later Joe Burrow during the early stages of Cincinnati’s rebuild.
In 2021 Green signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals, where he played two seasons and added 78 receptions for 1,084 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his NFL career with 158 games, 727 receptions, 10,514 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns.
Green announced his retirement on Feb. 14, 2023, after a 12-year professional career that also included 11 postseason receptions for 152 yards and one touchdown.
Now fully transitioned into the next phase of life, he leaves behind a legacy of reliability, highlight-reel catches and franchise records that still resonate in Cincinnati.