As the Cardinals slump, thanks to a quarterback succession plan that didn’t include success in the planning, their biggest star is getting frustrated.
And we think it’s only a matter of time before receiver Larry Fitzgerald tries to get out.
Though he has a knack for saying all the right things, Fitzgerald’s tact is beginning to show cracks. Earlier this week, Fitzgerald gushed about the impact that former Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley (now the head coach of the Chiefs, today’s Arizona opponent) on Fitzgerald’s career, prompting some to think that Fitzgerald already is thinking about a reunion.
Regardless of where Fitzgerald may want to play, it’s looking more and more like he won’t want to stay in Arizona.
“It’s definitely difficult to deal with,” Fitzgerald said of the team’s current fate, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. “You go home and you can’t escape it. You turn the TV on and [it’s], ‘The Cardinals lost four in a row.'”
But hasn’t Fitzgerald already endured that during the lean years that preceded 2008?
“I had never won on this level before,” Fitzgerald said regarding the team’s not-too-distant history of losing. “I’ve tasted the caviar now, so eating out of the garbage is not where I want to be.”
(What’s wrong with eating out of the garbage?)
Though most players not named Randy Moss can’t just talk their way out of town, Fitzgerald is in the third season of a four-year deal executed at a time when leverage from the big-money back end of his rookie deal allowed him to obtain $40 million over four years and a commitment that the Cardinals won’t use the franchise tag once the contract expires after the 2011 season.
In fact, the Cardinals would be wise to consider moving Fitzgerald in the offseason for a first-rounder-plus package that would give them something on which to build, in lieu of seeing Larry finish out his contract and walk away for no compensation.