Tuesday 4 December 2018 08:00, UK
Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green has torn ligaments in his right big toe and will have season-ending surgery, ESPN have reported.
According to ESPN, Green's recovery will take three to four months, but he should recover fully and be ready for organized team activities in May.
Green was seen in a walking boot on Monday at the Bengals' facility, but head coach Marvin Lewis declined to update his status.
The 30-year-old went down on a non-contact play in the second quarter on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, his first game back from a three-game absence due to a right big toe injury.
Green finishes the year with 46 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns in nine games, with all but the touchdown total marking career lows.
It is the second time in the last three seasons his campaign has been cut short by injury, after Green missed the final six games of the 2016 season with a torn hamstring.
Taken fourth overall by Cincinnati in 2011, Green could miss out on being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his eight-year career.
Before this season, he had failed to collect 1,000 yards in a season just once, when he topped out at 964 in 10 games in 2016.
Green will be entering the final year of his contract in 2019, when he is due just under $12m (£9.4m).
The Bengals, who are on a four-game losing streak, were already without quarterback Andy Dalton for the season after he suffered a thumb injury.
This week's game at the Los Angeles Chargers will be the Bengals' first without Dalton or Green since Green was drafted.
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