Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals' A.J. Green: ‘I left 1,000 yards on the field’ last season

Published Jun. 11, 2022 7:23 p.m. ET

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Arizona wide receiver A.J. Green is gearing up for a pivotal role in the Cardinals' offense this season.

Green, who is entering his 12th season in the NFL and second season with Arizona, is preparing to assume the No. 1 receiver role — at least for the six-game absence of fellow star wideout DeAndre Hopkins — and he's ready for the challenge.

"It’s night and day from last year. I’m more comfortable in the offense," Green said Thursday after OTAs. "As you get older, you have to change your game. For me, it’s better route running and being more patient.

"I left 1,000 yards on the field [last season]. I feel like the first half of the season I played well and the second half coming back from COVID hurt me from a fatigue factor. I wasn’t as sharp and didn’t have the same attention to detail.

"[The Cardinals] know what I can do, and they use me the right way," Green added. "I feel like this is the best place to build my legacy for my career."

Green signed a one-year deal to play for the Cardinals for the 2021 season. He then tested the free agent waters this past offseason before re-signing another one-year deal with Arizona in April.

He joined the Cardinals last year after playing the previous 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected Green with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Green, a seven-time Pro Bowler, returns to Arizona after playing 16 games (nine starts) last season, where he reeled in 54 receptions for 848 yards and three touchdowns. The 2021 season was Green’s eighth with 800-plus receiving yards, tied for the most among active players.

The 33-year-old Green’s 15.7-yards-per-catch average last season led the team and ranked fifth in the NFL among qualified players (min. 50 receptions). What's more, it was the second-highest receiving average of his career behind his rookie season in 2011 when he was 23 years old (16.3 yards per catch).

Alongside Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore and Hopkins, Green will lead the receiving room, and with tight end Zach Ertz in the mix and James Conner in the backfield, the Cardinals' offense is locked and loaded.

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