After a 12-year NFL career, A.J. Green signs a one-day contract with the Bengals to retire..

After 12 years in the NFL, A.J. Green is formally retiring from the Cincinnati Bengals.

The wide receiver, who was selected for seven Pro Bowls, agreed to a one-day deal on Saturday to end his playing career with the team he played for ten seasons.

In an Instagram post, Green declared his retirement from football on February 6:

Since I’ve never been a wordsmith, I’ll keep this brief.

“I’m grateful. I am grateful to everyone who has helped, inspired, and encouraged me over my professional journey. A special thank you to the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and University of Georgia for giving me the chance to follow my aspirations. The game owes me nothing because I’ve remained loyal to it. May you be blessed. I adore you all! The next section starts now.

Green was a member of the Arizona Cardinals during his last two seasons of play. As a free agent, he inked a one-year contract in March 2021 and another one-year contract in April 2022 with the organization.

Green did have a beneficial impact for the Cardinals, even though he was not the same powerful receiver at the height of his career. In 2021, he recorded the second-highest single-season average of his career with 15.7 yards per reception (compared to 16.3 in 2011).

On January 8, 2023, Green played his final game against the San Francisco 49ers, finishing with a season-high 91 yards and a touchdown reception.

In the 2011 NFL Draft, the Bengals chose Green as their fourth overall choice. He was the first wide receiver selected in the top five since the Detroit Lions selected Calvin Johnson second overall in 2007.

With 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, Green quickly made a name for himself as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers. In his first seven seasons, he was selected to the Pro Bowl six times and finished with at least 1,000 yards six times.

Green was hampered by injuries in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, with one ankle problem keeping him out of action for the whole year. In 2020, his last season with the Bengals, he ended with 16 games played and 523 yards gained.

Green ranks second in Bengals franchise history with 9,430 receiving yards and 65 receiving touchdowns, behind only Chad Johnson.