The Roaming Photographer: A. J. Green - Part 1 (The Beginnings to College)

Photo Credit:
https://www.skysports.com/nfl/news/
12118/9987692/a-j-green-signs-four-year-60m-
extension-with-cincinnati-bengals)

Jersey Number: 18

Position: Wide Receiver

Personal Information:

Born: July 31^st, 1988

Birthplace: Summerville, South Carolina

Height: 6 ft. 4 in.

Weight: 207 lb.

Career Information:

High School: Summerville

College: Georgia (2008 – 2010)

NFL Draft: 2011: 1^st round, 4^th overall pick

Career History:

· Cincinnati Bengals (2011 – 2020)

· Arizona Cardinals (2021 – 2022)

Awards and Highlights:

· 2x Second – Team All – Pro (2012, 2013)

· 7x Pro Bowl (2011 – 2017)

· PFWA NFL All – Rookie Team (2011)

· 2x First – Team All – American (2009, 2010)

· 2x First – Team All – SEC (2008, 2009)

· Second – Team All – SEC (2010)

· SEC Freshman of the Year (2008)

Career NFL Statistics:

Receptions: 727

Receiving Yards: 10,514

Receiving Touchdowns: 70

A.J. Green is a former professional football wide receiver who played in the NFL for twelve seasons. He played the majority of his career for the Cincinnati Bengals. In college, he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first – team All – American honors before being selected by the Bengals with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. He is regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of the 2010’s decade.⁽¹⁾

In his first season with the Bengals, Green made the 2012 Pro Bowl, becoming the first rookie receiver to make a Pro Bowl appearance in eight years, and went on to accumulate a total seven Pro Bowl appearances throughout his career. From 2011 to 2013, Green caught more passes (260) than any other player in NFL history during their first three seasons, a record that was later broken by Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. (288). He had six seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards.

Green signed with the Cardinals in 2021, having finished his Bengals career ranked second in franchise history, behind only Chad Johnson, in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions⁽²⁾. On September 16^th, 2023, Green signed a one – day contract with the Bengals to retire with the team.⁽³⁾

Early Life

When Green was age 4, his brother and only sibling died in a car accident on the way to a school carnival⁽⁴⁾. Green was on his elementary school’s juggling team, telling The Atlanta Journal – Constitution that he learned to juggle as early as second grade. Green said he could juggle as many as four items at once, and that ability helped the development of his hand – eye coordination.⁽⁵⁾

Green attended Summerville High School in Summerville, South Carolina, where he was a three – sport athlete in football, basketball, and track⁽⁶⁾. He played as a wide receiver for the Summerville Green Wave football team, under coach John McKissick. He was widely considered to be one of the top national football prospects of the Class of 2008 and was listed #1 by Sports Illustrated⁽⁷⁾⁽⁸⁾. Green earned All – State honors four times and was the only junior nominated for the 2006 USA Today All – American first – team following 75 receptions for 1,422 yards and 16 touchdowns during his junior season. Green was also selected as a member of the Rivals.com Junior All – America team based on those stats⁽⁹⁾. As a freshman, he had 57 receptions for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 60 catches for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Green’s 5,373 career receiving yards rank second in the all – time career receiving records of the National Federation of High Schools. His 279 career receptions rank fourth⁽¹⁰⁾. In June 2006, Green was profiled by Sports Illustrated as part of its “Where Will They Be?” stories documenting athletes with the potential of becoming a future great, alongside Peter Uihlein, John Tavares, Tyreke Evans, Elena Delle Donne, and others⁽¹¹⁾. Sports Illustrated compared him to the then – Oakland Raiders wideout Randy Moss and predicted Green to be in the NFL by 2011. Green was also on the school’s track & field team, where he competed as a long jumper (top – jump of 19 feet 6 inches) and triple jumper (40 feet 0 inches).⁽¹²⁾

Rivals.com ranked Green as their No. 9 prospect for the high school class of 2008, while Scout.com named Green their No. 10 prospect nationally^(13)(14). He participated in the Under Armour All – America Game.⁽¹⁵⁾

Green was also on the Summerville High school basketball team that claimed the 2007 – 2008 South Carolina state championship in the championship game against Spartanbugh (S.C.) High School⁽¹⁶⁾. The game was played in memory of their fallen assistant coach, Captain Louis Mulkey of the Charleston Fire Department in South Carolina, who died responding to a fire with eight other firefighters on June 18^th, 2007.⁽¹⁷⁾

College Career

^{Photo Credit:https://www.si.com/college/georgia/news/
georgia-football-todays-top-dawg-a-look-back-
at-uga-great-aj-green)}

Green verbally committed to attend the University of Georgia in October 2006,⁽¹⁸⁾ and made his commitment official by signing a letter of intent to play at Georgia on February 6^th, 2008⁽¹⁹⁾. He played for coach Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs football team from 2008 to 2010.^(20)(21)

2008 season

Green had a solid freshman season for the 10 – 3 Georgia Bulldogs in 2008⁽²²⁾. He joined a wide receivers unit that contained Mohamed Massaquoi, Michael Moore, Kris Durham, and Demiko Goodman⁽²³⁾. In the fourth game of his college career, against Arizona State, Green had eight catches for 159 yards and a touchdown in the 27 – 10 victory⁽²⁴⁾. For this, he was named SEC (Southeaster Conference) Player of the Week⁽²⁵⁾. On October 18^th, against SEC East rival Vanderbilt, he had seven receptions for 132 receiving yards in the 24 – 14 victory.⁽²⁶⁾

He finished the 2008 season with 56 catches for 963 yards and eight touchdowns, all Georgia freshman school records⁽²⁷⁾. He also led the SEC in receiving yards, with the third – highest total in UGA (University of Georgia) school history⁽²⁸⁾. He was named second – team All – SEC and Freshman of the Year by the SEC coaches, and was named to the Associated Press All – SEC first – team.⁽²⁹⁾

2009 season

As a sophomore, Green became the top option for the Georgia wide receivers group that added newcomers Tavarres King and Rantavious Wooten⁽³⁰⁾. Green saw similar opportunities production – wise as a sophomore in Georgia’s 8 – 5 season⁽³¹⁾. On September 19^th, he had seven receptions for 137 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a 52 – 41 victory on the road against Arkansas⁽³²⁾. He followed that up with eight receptions for 153 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 20 – 17 victory over Arizona State in the next game⁽³³⁾. On November 14^th, against Auburn, he suffered a left shoulder injury, which kept him out of the remaining regular season games⁽³⁴⁾. He returned for the 2009 Independence Bowl, December 28^th, in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he made six catches totaling 57 yards in the 44 – 20 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies⁽³⁵⁾. Green ended the 2009 regular season with 53 catches for 808 yards and six touchdowns, leading the team in all those categories despite missing time due to injury.⁽³⁶⁾

Among other awards, Green was elected All – SEC First – team by the Associated Press, SEC Coaches, ESPN, Phil Steele, and Sporting News.⁽³⁷⁾

2010 season

Green’s junior season started off tumultuous due to a compliance issue. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 regular season after he admitted to selling his 2009 Independence Bowl Jersey for $1,000 dollars to former North Carolina defensive back Chris Hawkins, who the NCAA described as an agent or someone who markets amateur athletes^(38)(39). As part of his punishment, he was required to repay $1,000 dollars to a charity⁽³⁸⁾. Green returned from the suspension on October 2^nd and had seven receptions for 119 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a 29 – 27 road loss to Colorado⁽⁴⁰⁾. On November 6^th, against Idaho State, he had six receptions for 103 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 55 – 7 victory⁽⁴¹⁾. In the following game against rival Auburn, he had nine receptions for 164 receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in the 49 – 31 road loss⁽⁴²⁾. Green finished Georgia’s 6 – 7 season with a team – high 57 catches for 848 yards and nine touchdowns.^{(43)(44)(45)(46)}

On January 9^th, 2011, Green officially declared for the 2011 NFL draft⁽⁴⁴⁾. He finished his three seasons at the University of Georgia with 166 receptions for 2,619 yards and 23 touchdowns.⁽²⁰⁾

College Statistics