For 17 years, Larry Fitzgerald was a mainstay on the Cardinals offense. 3 overall selection out of Pitt in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he has put together a Hall of Fame career.
Fitzgerald has 1,432 catches in his career. He has posted 17,492 receiving yards. He has also done 121 touchdowns. Impressively, it all came with a massive revolving door in the quarterback position.
Fitzgerald is certainly the best receiver the Cardinals have ever had. But where is he now? For the first time since 2003, he is not gracing the Cardinals' sideline. Instead, Arizona will carry a loaded receiving corps, but one that doesn't feature the longest-lived, most beloved player before them.
Did Larry Fitzgerald Retire? Here's what the Arizona Giants are up to now and their thoughts about playing in the NFL again someday.
Did Larry Fitzgerald Retire?
Larry Fitzgerald has yet to officially announce his retirement from the NFL. He's a free agent but isn't interested in signing anywhere right now.
"I just don't have the urge to play," Fitzgerald said in an interview with Jim Gray in late August. "I don't know how I'll feel going forward in September, October, November, but today, I don't have that urge."
Those three months have come and gone, so it doesn't look like anything has changed for Fitzgerald. And unless there is a desire to play, he is not planning to return to the field. Why?
"I guess I have to respect that," Fitzgerald said. "Football is not one of those sports that you want to go out there and play and not be completely busy and ready to do the things that you need to do."
Can Larry Fitzgerald Play in the 2022 NFL Playoffs?
Fitzgerald left the door open for a possible return. This is why he has not filed for retirement with the NFL as of this writing.
But will he eventually feel the spark and desire to play?
According to the Cardinals' official website, "I don't know," Fitzgerald said. "I've done it for over thirty years and every year I go into it, I've felt a certain way. I've felt the urge to go out and do it, and I just can't feel it right now."
"I don't know if it's going to change. But if it does, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not putting too much thought into it."
Could a chance to win the Super Bowl change Fitzgerald's mind? He's hinted that he wants to win a Super Bowl, but he's just not sure if he loves the "process" of where he is currently.
"The discovery is the Lombardi Trophy, but you have to love the process of chasing the Lombardi Trophy," Fitzgerald said. "That's the part that's most important."
The Cardinals would probably wholeheartedly welcome Larry Fitzgerald if he were to return. The only worry would have been about his career—the worst of 7.6 yards per catch last season. Hopkins has a strong team depth, AJ. Green, Christian Kirk and Rondell Moore, but Fitzgerald will have added experience and an option to help replace Hopkins' production while he rounds out the lineup.
But would Fitzgerald want to return for a smaller role? It remains unclear. At this point, it looks like he won't be back during the 2022 NFL playoffs and enjoy his elusive retirement.
What is Larry Fitzgerald doing now?
Fitzgerald actually said "Let's go!" Working as a radio broadcaster on a podcast called. With Tom Brady and Grey. The show focuses on trending topics from across the NFL, including the growing Bengals and Cardinals teams, as well as Brady's game against the Patriots in Foxboro.
The show also featured "deeply insightful and introspective one-on-one conversations with each of the future Hall of Famer football players," according to its description.