Cardinals GM: If Larry Fitzgerald is ready to play, ‘we’ll have a spot for him’

Jetstream Green

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We already have a spot for him in the Ring of Honor and the NFL in the Hall of Fame but we have no spot for him now unless you want to hold back Kirk and Moore (we need to develop guys who can break free on short passes for this type of offense)... and then what do you do with AJ Green, whose legacy obviously is nowhere close to Fitz but offers more at a younger age with relative similar or better production
 

BigRedRage

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Kurt Warner was on KTAR earlier and he said he feels Fitz really doesn't know yet whether or not he's going to play or retire. He said "If he knew he was done and he was going to just retire...he'd have retired by now. That's as simple as making an announcement. He must be watching all of the team moves and continuing to see how he feels and if he's ready to give it another go." He said he may still retire, but this not knowing looks more like he is leaning toward returning, in his opinion. He said he has not spoken to Larry about this and has no inside info other than having been a professional player himself who had gone through making that tough decision on whether to play again or hang it up.
logic
 

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Time is on Larry Fitzgerald’s side

Future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald is taking his time to plan his next move. And time is on his side.

Fitzgerald, a savvy veteran who has spent his entire career in Arizona, hasn’t retired. Based on Arizona’s moves, however, the Cardinals seem to have moved on. Fitzgerald officially hasn’t.

It’s smart for him to wait. At this point in his career, money isn’t an issue. Fitzgerald surely wants, and arguably deserves, a Super Bowl ring. So he should wait, as long as he can. Wait until the contenders begin to emerge from the pack. Wait until November, maybe December.

As a free agent, he can sign with any team at any time. If he wants, he can even wait until the Super Bowl teams are known, in January.

It could be too late for him to make a difference by then. At some point before the postseason, he arguably needs to pick a horse and ride it.

The Bucs only make sense if injuries happen. The Chiefs make sense, given their interest in JuJu Smith-Schuster and the chatter that Julio Jones was on their radar screen.

Then there are the Vikings. He’s a Minneapolis native, and his father, Larry Sr., once said that Larry eventually would find his way home. Considering the absence of any high-end options behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, Minnesota could make sense — if Minnesota ends up performing well enough early in the season for Fitzgerald to conclude that the Vikings have a chance to put the icing on 50 years of unfinished business.

Ultimately, the challenge for Fitzgerald will be timing. There will be a sweet spot for making a decision. The window hasn’t opened yet, and it makes plenty of sense for him to wait. At some point before January, don’t be surprised if Fitzgerald picks a new team and takes one last shot at capping his career with a Super Bowl championship.
 

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We already have a spot for him in the Ring of Honor and the NFL in the Hall of Fame but we have no spot for him now unless you want to hold back Kirk and Moore (we need to develop guys who can break free on short passes for this type of offense)... and then what do you do with AJ Green, whose legacy obviously is nowhere close to Fitz but offers more at a younger age with relative similar or better production

You use Fitz as a pass catching Tend - problem solved.
 

Jetstream Green

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You use Fitz as a pass catching Tend - problem solved.
To an extent yes, but frankly that is a brutal position for him to do at his age. It's a lot different being a possible direct blocker at the line of scrimmage against some athletic beasts (because he cannot play the 'pass catcher' on every play or it would be a direct tip off to the defense) then moving in to be one on the slot which can pick and choose his blocking as a play develops. He's a WR, one of if not the best ever, so it lends one can think that of him possibly at that too as he does everything at a high level... but the man is no TE
 

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To an extent yes, but frankly that is a brutal position for him to do at his age. It's a lot different being a possible direct blocker at the line of scrimmage against some athletic beasts (because he cannot play the 'pass catcher' on every play or it would be a direct tip off to the defense) then moving in to be one on the slot which can pick and choose his blocking as a play develops. He's a WR, one of if not the best ever, so it lends one can think that of him possibly at that too as he does everything at a high level... but the man is no TE

Show me an effective receiving Tend and I'll show you a converted receiver. He doesn't have to do the Max Williams thing to be effective. The guy who just left town was hardly a blocking dynamo.
 

Jetstream Green

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Show me an effective receiving Tend and I'll show you a converted receiver. He doesn't have to do the Max Williams thing to be effective. The guy who just left town was hardly a blocking dynamo.
Larry Fitzgerald is a Hall of Fame WR who's 37 years old and you expect him to want to line up on the line of scrimmage next to the tackle and become a TE (that is like expecting a Hall of Fame safety to want to play LB at the twilight of his career)... good luck :)
 

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I think the odds of Larry returning are sub 20%.

The most likely scenario I see is that Larry doesn't officially retire. He enjoys some time off working on his other projects while keeping in shape and at some point when we lose a WR to long term injury he comes back. Especially if we look playoff bound.

I don't see him playing elsewhere.
 

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Larry Fitzgerald is a Hall of Fame WR who's 37 years old and you expect him to want to line up on the line of scrimmage next to the tackle and become a TE (that is like expecting a Hall of Fame safety to want to play LB at the twilight of his career)... good luck :)

I don't expect anything.

I simply said, and repeat, that converting his role to pass-catching Tend is a possibility.

We can call the role whatever you like. I'm simply addressing the pass-catching routes assigned to Dan Arnold in 2020.
 

RON_IN_OC

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Why not more of a gadget role? He can line up at H-back...catch passes out of the backfield...block...and even throw passes.

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Why not more of a gadget role? He can line up at H-back...catch passes out of the backfield...block...and even throw passes.

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has he ever shown he’s good at throwing passes? He’s way too slow to be catching passing out of the backfield and certainly not shifty enough. Lol
 

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because his TD production last year shows he’s so good down there still?


I'll take a tall possession receiver with good hands over a 5'8 speed guy in the goal line formation. I'm suggesting him as a rotation guy, not the #1. thinking about it, we did get AJ green and if healthy, Green and hopkins would probably be my go to WRs.
 

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Bank on it - The day after Larry leaves the roster, our receiving corps will fall victim to the Injury Curse.

Find a (legit) role for Larry and be thankful we have him.

whats a legit role for a guy who is slow and can’t get separation anymore? Whose production has literally fallen off a cliff?
 

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I will say what most will not, it's time for Larry to retire. If he can no longer be productive at a level which defines his legacy he needs to call it quits, and those are not my words but his own when asked about this a few years back. Love the guy but his career in football under high standards is done... salute to Larry, embrace D-Hop :cards::newcards:
 
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Brian in Mesa

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Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald 'ain't going to retire,' Patrick Peterson predicts

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...atrick-peterson-arizona-cardinals-prediction/

Patrick Peterson was Larry Fitzgerald's teammate for 10 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

Now with the Minnesota Vikings, the cornerback made some predictions about the wide receiver's future on Tuesday.

The Cardinals, and their fans, and many NFL fans have been waiting for the future Hall of Famer to announce his playing plans or his retirement plans for months.

"If he ain't retired yet, he ain't going to retire," Peterson said of Fitzgerald on his All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden.

When asked by McFadden if the Cardinals even have room on their roster for Fitzgerald, Peterson replied:

"I think they will definitely find a way, they will find a way for it. If Larry definitely wanted to come back late in the year, or whenever the time may permit itself, they will find a way.

More at the link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...atrick-peterson-arizona-cardinals-prediction/
 
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whats a legit role for a guy who is slow and can’t get separation anymore? Whose production has literally fallen off a cliff?

He has to be targeted before he can produce. He can't catch passes that aren't thrown his way.

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***youtube.com/watch?v=Q4PoaDFh6LU
 

cardsfanmd

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Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald 'ain't going to retire,' Patrick Peterson predicts

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...atrick-peterson-arizona-cardinals-prediction/

Patrick Peterson was Larry Fitzgerald's teammate for 10 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

Now with the Minnesota Vikings, the cornerback made some predictions about the wide receiver's future on Tuesday.

The Cardinals, and their fans, and many NFL fans have been waiting for the future Hall of Famer to announce his playing plans or his retirement plans for months.

"If he ain't retired yet, he ain't going to retire," Peterson said of Fitzgerald on his All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden.

When asked by McFadden if the Cardinals even have room on their roster for Fitzgerald, Peterson replied:

"I think they will definitely find a way, they will find a way for it. If Larry definitely wanted to come back late in the year, or whenever the time may permit itself, they will find a way.

More at the link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...atrick-peterson-arizona-cardinals-prediction/
I was a little on the fence before. Now I’m sure Larry’s done. Thanks PP.
 
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