It was a bit strange last season when Larry Fitzgerald Jr. drifted into free agency and remained unsigned as the NFL opener neared. After 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, his days catching passes from Kyler Murray were done. The odd part was how Fitz never retired, yet he also never appeared too interested in joining another franchise.
There was never an official reason given for the Cardinals moving on from Fitz, but that’s exactly what they did by making the decision to sign A.J. Green and draft Rondale Moore in the second round. An argument could be made that Fitzgerald wasn’t nearly as effective his past few seasons as he continued to age, and that’s probably fair.
Now that we’re a full season removed from the 2021 NFL free agency period, it appears we’re gaining some clarity as to why Fitz and the team may have parted ways.
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Now we have the dad of an NFL wide receiver criticizing his former quarterback. Where have we heard this one before?
To be fair, Larry Fitzgerald Sr. is an experienced sportswriter who’s been at it since the younger Fitz even got into the NFL, so this isn’t some angry hot take from the couch.
Keep in mind, this is only the opinion of Larry Fitzgerald’s dad, it doesn’t necessarily represent the 11-time Pro Bowl receiver’s views on Murray, but it is telling.
Could it be that Fitz didn’t want to continue playing with Murray? Fitzgerald may have felt like Murray isn’t the one to help get him his first Super Bowl ring. Or as we mentioned, it could have been that the Cardinals decided to move on from Fitz based on their additions to the receiver position last offseason.
The Cards run a version of the spread offense, which isn’t ideal for where Fitz is at in his career due to his declining speed and agility. There’s a reason why the organization placed an emphasis on adding playmaking receivers in the past few years. Fitz has always been a possession receiver and as he kept getting older, his skills began to deteriorate more and more.
While the comments aren’t too harsh, they remind us that Murray still has a lot of room to grow, like any young quarterback. The fact remains, that Murray has steadily improved each season. There’s a good chance, with him being just 24 years old that he continues to develop.
At the same time, the comments made by Fitz Sr. do seem to add to the idea of Murray being selfish, as they’re along the same line of thinking. Both Fitz Jr. and his dad have seen several different quarterbacks in their decades of being around the game, which is what makes this opinion so fascinating.
As much as we’d like to believe there’s a growing rift within the Cardinals’ organization, Fitz Sr.’s comments probably don’t mean much in relation to his son’s relationship with his former quarterback.
Not that it really matters. Fitz appears to be done playing and the Cardinals likely are not moving on from their franchise quarterback. Instead, they need to find a way to make him happy, while providing him with a support system in which he can thrive from. It should be an interesting offseason in Glendale.
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