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Larry Fitzgerald made his NFL debut in 2004, the beginning of a Hall of Fame-worthy career. With the 2021 season about to begin, it seems Fitzgerald is prepared to step away from the game.
Fitzgerald has flirted with retirement in the past, contemplating it before the 2020 season. He returned last year, hoping to add a Super Bowl ring to his legacy. Instead, the Arizona Cardinals didn’t reach the playoffs.
It proved to be a challenging season. Fitzgerald tested positive for COVID-19 and he missed multiple games for the first time since 2014. With his physical abilities in evident declined, the Cardinals replaced him with A.J. Green in the spring.
- Larry Fitzgerald career stats: 1,432 receptions, 17,492 receiving yards and 121 receiving touchdowns
Fitzgerald remained undecided on retirement, but many expected. He remained non-committal in July as training camp drew near. But with the preseason drawing to a close, the future Hall of Famer revealed to Jim Gray that he has no plans to return to the NFL right now.
“For now I’ll be a radio broadcaster. Jim, to be honest with you, I just don’t have the urge to play right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward. But I just, today, I just don’t have the urge and I think I have to respect that. Football is not one of those games you want to walk out there and play and not be fully engaged and ready to prepare and do the things necessary that you need to do.”
Larry Fitzgerald to Jim Nance on Sirius XM, via Ian Rapoport
The No. 3 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Fitzgerald’s resume speaks for itself. A 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient and an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, he was one of the best receivers in his era.
If this is the end of his historic career, Fitzgerald retires with the second-most receiving yards and receptions in NFL history.
It’s possible the desire to play football returns later this year. If that’s the case, Fitzgerald will likely eye a top Super Bowl contender for the opportunity to finally hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
