In order for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to stay with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, some restructuring of his contract will be needed.
The future Hall of Famer is set to count $23.6 million against the cap next year. And while Fitzgerald is still important to the Cardinals, there’s no way they bring him back at that tag.
In an interview on Friday, Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians was asked if he was nervous Fitzgerald wouldn’t return.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. We definitely, desperately want him to stay. He knows that. It’s really his decision.” Arians said, via the team’s official website. “I’m hoping and praying every day that it does happen. I’ve expressed to him personally how much it means to us.”
According to team president Michael Bidwell, talks regarding Fitzgerald’s contract won’t begin until a bit further down the road in February. Arians backs Fitzgerald, and it’s not a secret that he wants the veteran receiver to return—likely at a much reduced price tag—next season.
As for Fitzgerald, he is coming off of his worst season since his rookie year. The 11-year pro had only 63 catches for 784 yards and two touchdowns. While Arizona’s quarterback situation played a role in his lack of production, it’s evident that Fitzgerald has lost a step from his All-Pro years.
The team had third-year wide receiver Michael Floyd (841 yards six touchdowns) and rookie John Brown (696 yards five touchdowns) already highly active in their offense this past year. This could signify that the team will be prepared to move on from Fitzgerald.
However, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim did indicate last February that it was the team’s intent for Fitzgerald to retire a Cardinal.
It will be interesting to see what type of a common ground, if any, the two sides can come to.