The calendar has nearly turned to July, and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has not announced whether he’ll retire or continue his career.
It’s been a steady topic of conversation out of Arizona all offseason. But no one from team owner Michael Bidwill to General Manager Steve Keim to head coach Kliff Kingsbury has had a definitive answer.
The Cardinals have constructed their roster so that they’ll be fine at receiver without Fitzgerald, with DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Andy Isabella, and Christian Kirk leading the way. But during a Wednesday morning interview on NFL Network, Kirk said he’d like to get Fitzgerald back.
“You never know with Fitzy,” Kirk said. “He’s kind of taking his time. A little longer this year, but he’s done it like this in the past, where he takes his time and kind of does his own thing and then he’ll decide. So we’ll see.
“I know he loves the game and will always have love for the game. That’s a big brother to me. I’m appreciative of every moment that I’ve had with him — on and off the field. I think I’ve definitely learned more, just how to carry myself as a professional off the field and building relationships with people. I’m super grateful for him. And going from him being my idol growing up living in Arizona, to now having him as family, my big brother — it’s a special thing. But I hope to see him back on the field.”
Fitzgerald is a free agent, so he’s available to sign with any team at any time. But he’s played the entirety of his career with the Cardinals, catching 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards with 121 touchdowns in 17 seasons. In 2020, he recorded 54 receptions for 409 yards with one TD in 13 games.
