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.