One of the Arizona Cardinals’ many unrestricted free agents this offseason is wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Will he be back in 2021?
Unlike other Cardinals free agents, Fitzgerald’s situation will not be about whether or not the team wants him back. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has made it clear he and everyone else wants him back.
“We all want him back,” Kingsbury said after the conclusion of the season. “He knows that we all know he can still be a force on the field when he’s feeling good and healthy and doing what he can do. I’m not sure the exact timetable but he’s one of the best to ever play and still can play at an incredibly high level. We want him back.”
This will be whether or not he decides to retire.
In 2020, he had the lowest production of his career. He had a career-low 54 receptions, a career-low 409 receiving yards and only scored one touchdown.
He missed three games, his first games missed since 2014. He was out two games after contracting COVID-19 and missed the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams with a groin injury.
He is 37 years old and will be a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer. The only thing left for him to achieve is a championship and, while the playoffs are a goal in 2021, the Cardinals will not enter the year anywhere near favorites.
If he retires, the Cardinals will have a hole to fill. It won’t be as the No. 1 receiver, as the Cardinals already have DeAndre Hopkins for that, but they need someone to step up and fill the No. 2 role consistently.
If Fitzgerald wants to come back, the Cardinals will welcome him back. They will probably agree to pay him whatever he requests to come back.
The question is whether he will. By this point last offseason, he already made it known he was coming back.
It feels more likely this year than any previous one that he will call it career.
Fitzgerald’s 2021 return: Maybe 50/50
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