Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals release LB A.J. Hawk

Published Apr. 26, 2016 3:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Bengals Tuesday terminated the contract of LB A.J. Hawk, releasing him to free agency.

Hawk joined the Bengals for the 2015 season as a free agent and played in 16 games, with 11 starts, logging 24 tackles and one sack. He also played in the team's Wild Card playoff game. Hawk played the previous nine seasons (2006-14) for Green Bay, including a starting berth in the Packers' 2010 season Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh. He is recognized by the Packers as their career leader in tackles (1118).

"A.J. was a big part of us last season as we won the division championship, and I appreciate his efforts," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "We're going a different direction at this point, but I've always been a fan of A.J. It has been a pleasure having him as part of our team and getting to know him and his family better."

Hawk is a Southwest Ohio native, having starred at Centerville High School before going on to earn consensus All-America honors in two of his four seasons at Ohio State.

(Cincinnati Bengals press release)