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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver AJ Green joined the team after spending his first nine years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2020, Green signed a one-year, six-million-dollar contract with the Cardinals after missing the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury.
The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver entered the 2021 season 570 yards short of 10,000 career receiving yards.
Read: Who won Monday Night Football?
In Week 14, the Cardinals faced their NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams, on Monday Night Football and Green was 18 yards short of the 10,000 receiving yards.
That changed in the second quarter with a nine-yard pass from Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to Green on first down and 10, eclipsing the 10,000-career receiving mark. Green finished the game as the team’s leading receiver with 102 yards on seven receptions.
After the game, Green reflected upon the milestone but is focused on the Cardinals’ success:
"It's a great milestone, but I've got my whole life to celebrate my accomplishment. Right now, I'm just focused on winning, getting back to work. But it's a big moment for me."
Green is the fifth active wide receiver to have 10,000 career receiving yards, joining Antonio Brown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DeSean Jackson of the Las Vegas Raiders, Julio Jones of the Tennessee Titans, and his teammate DeAndre Hopkins.
AJ Green joins Larry Fitzgerald in elite list
Green also joins former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the list of wide receivers with over 10,000 yards receiving in their careers. Fitzgerald, who has played all 17 years of his NFL career with the Cardinals, is second in NFL history with 17,492 yards receiving as Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice leads with 22,895 yards.
The relationship between Green and Fitzgerald is that Fitzgerald is a mentor to Green:
“He’s been a mentor to me for these last couple years in the NFL, going through the whole draft process and signing my next deal and just talking to him at the games. I know I’ll be seeing him around here all the time so I’m not worried about seeing him.”
The Cardinals decided not to resign their franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions after the 2020 season. Nonetheless, it is never a bad thing to have your name on a list with a future Hall of Famer if you are AJ Green.
Read: Larry Fitzgerald to return for one last run with high-flying Cardinals?
