When Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald signed a one-year extension with the team, it was sold by some in the media as a conclusive indication that Fitzgerald will spend at least two more years with the Cardinals. And it now sounds as if Fitzgerald has only two more games with the Cardinals.
Appearing on Westwood One with Jim Gray, Fitzgerald seemed to create the impression that he’ll play in 2017 — if he’s playing for a contender.
“No, I wouldn’t say that I’m contemplating [retirement] right now,” Fitzgerald told Gray. “But I’m uncertain what I’m going to do moving forward. But I still love the game, I love the competition. I love being around the guys and competing for a championship. That’s a lot of fun to me, and that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
Where’s he’s at right now is with a team that isn’t competing, and that may be replacing quarterback Carson Palmer in 2017. It seems that Fitzgerald still wants to play if playing means winning. The real question is whether he thinks winning will happen in Arizona.
Fitzgerald’s father, a Minnesota sports writer, has said that Larry, a ball boy for the Vikings as a youth, “always wanted to be a Viking because he is a Viking.” Despite a 2-7 slide since starting 5-0, the Vikings could be contender if/when quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and if/when the offensive manages to periodically block someone.