A.J. Green has work to do to cement himself in NFL record books

A.J. Green is closing in on many Bengals franchise records, but just how close is the 2011 first round pick to cementing his name in NFL record books?

Green currently boasts 556 catches for 8,213 yards and 57 touchdowns in 102 games played for the Bengals. He’s behind only Chad Johnson in catches and yards and falls behind both Johnson and Pickens in touchdowns for the Bengals.

NFL receiving yards

So, how does that compare to the NFL record books? Well, Jerry Rice leads the way for receiving yards with 22,895 in his illustrious career. The No. 2 player on the list isn’t even close behind. It’s Terrell Owens who had 15,934 yards in his career. Heading into the 2018 NFL season, Green ranks 87th on the list.

He’s averaged 1,173 yards per year, so to get into the top 10 of the record book for receiving yards, Green would need to play at least five more years at the same pace at which he’s been playing. Reggie Wayne ranks 10th on the all-time receiving yards ranking list with 14,345 yards. There are also quite a few active players climbing their way up the list, such as Larry Fitzgerald who already ranks third, Brandon Marshall (23), Antonio Gates (30), Antonio Brown (48), DeSean Jackson (52) and Julio Jones (60).

NFL receiving touchdowns

As for receiving touchdowns, Green currently ranks in a tie for 93rd, alongside Demaryius Thomas and Mike Wallace. Gates and Fitzgerald are already in the top 10 of this ranking with Rice again leading the way at No. 1 with 197 career touchdowns. Green has a lot of work to do to get into the top 10 of this ranking as Tim Brown and Steve Largent are tied for 9th on the list with 100 touchdowns each. Green averages 8.14 touchdowns per year, so to get to 100 career touchdowns, he would need to play for at least five more years at the same pace to reach that mark. Though, by the time he gets around to 100 touchdowns, that may no longer be enough considering all the guys also inching their way toward that mark.

NFL receiving yards per game

One ranking at which Green is nearing the top is receiving yards per game. Active players dominate the top 10 of this list, which starts off with Julio Jones, followed by Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, Calvin Johnson, and then A.J. Green to round out the top five. Green has averaged 80.5 yards per game, which is somewhat wild. It’s hopefully a pace he’ll be able to keep up as it’s easy to see how players fall down this lis as they age.

What do you think? Will Green end his career in the top 10 of any of these records? Are there any other records you’re hoping to see him achieve?