Cincinnati Bengals: 30 greatest players in franchise history

• 7x Pro Bowl (2011-17)
• 2x Second-Team All-Pro (2012-13)
• 6x 1,000-yard receiving seasons (2011-15, 2017)
• 3x 10+ receiving touchdown seasons (2012-13, 2015)

Like with Geno Atkins on the defensive side of the ball, the one offensive player currently on the Bengals that has the best shot at eventually earning Canton enshrinement is wide receiver A.J. Green. Through his first seven years out of Georgia, it’s safe to say that Green has about punch his ticket into the Pro Football Hall of Fame already.

Cincinnati used its No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft to take the Georgia Bulldogs’ out-of-this-world wide receiver. By partnering him with fellow draft classmate in quarterback Andy Dalton out of TCU, the Bengals have quietly put together one of the best passing tandems, not just in football today, but perhaps in football history. Their first seven seasons together have been incredible.

While Dalton is a three-time Pro Bowler, Green is widely considered to be a top-five wide receiver in the game. He has made it to the Pro Bowl each season as a pro. Six times has Green gone over 1,000 yards receiving. Three times has he had over 10 touchdown catches in a season.

To this point, there are only a few things that Green hasn’t done on the football field. He has yet to be a first-team All-Pro, despite being a two-time second-team All-Pro in 2012 and 2013. Having just turned 30, that’s still very much in play for him.

Green has somehow never had 100 catches in a season, as his career-best was 98 in 2013. Again, very much in play. Lastly, he could use a few playoff victories to help pad the résumé. Once again, very much in play.

To put it simply, Green might be his generation’s version of Tim Brown. That would mean he is a perennial Pro Bowler whose prime coincided with other elite wide receivers. Brown had to deal with Jerry Rice and Cris Carter, while Green has to deal with Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.

To date, Green has put together 556 catches for 8,213 yards and 57 touchdowns. He is a few years off from catching, and maybe surpassing, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson for the most all-time in Bengals history. While Johnson probably will end up in Canton one day, Green is still building on his résumé which is looking more and more like a hall of fame lock with every passing year.