After missing the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury, A.J. Green returned to the Bengals and played all 16 games in 2020. It was the first time he’d played a full season since 2017, as he appeared in only nine in 2018.
But Green’s production was not nearly at his previous standard. Green was targeted 104 times but caught just 47 passes for 523 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Green averaged 32.7 yards per game — well off his previous career mark of 80.2 YPG.
Green signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Cardinals as a free agent in March. And even as Green turns 33 at the end of July, his new quarterback is excited to see what he can do in 2021.
“I expect A.J. to have a big year,” Kyler Murray said, via Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals’ website. “I know a lot of people are sleeping on him. I know a lot of things have been said about him maybe not being able to do it anymore. … I’m glad he’s on the team.”
Though Green was Cincinnati’s top receiver for years, he won’t have to fill that role in Arizona with DeAndre Hopkins as his teammate. Green recently said he’s never played with someone like Hopkins and their pairing should be “unbelievable.”
With Hopkins inevitably drawing plenty of attention, Green has a chance for a strong bounce-back season in 2021.