Cardinals announce Larry Fitzgerald has signed one-year deal to return for 2019
The Arizona Cardinals have a new coaching staff for 2019, and they’ll also have their constant: wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
The team announced on Tuesday morning that Fitzgerald has signed a one-year deal to play a 16th season with the franchise.
‘No player has meant more’
There have been questions for a couple of years about Fitzgerald and how long he’ll play; it’s highly likely he’s headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Cardinals are seemingly in rebuild mode, so he may not be getting back to the Super Bowl with the team in the near future.
But Cardinals president Michael Bidwill knows more than anyone what Fitzgerald brings to the table.
“No player has meant more to this franchise or this community than Larry Fitzgerald,” Bidwill said in a statement. “In my discussions with him, it was clear that he is as driven and passionate as ever. We are thrilled he’ll be back in 2019.”
Fitzgerald will turn 36 during the preseason.
Numbers were down, but offense was bad
Fitzgerald’s numbers were down in 2018; he had 69 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns, a sharp decline from the previous two years, when he was over 100 receptions in each. The 69 catches was the lowest for Fitzgerald in a 16-game season since his rookie year.
Still, his 2018 numbers led Arizona in all three categories. The Cardinals were last in the league in total yards, passing yards and points per game.
Before the season finale, Fitzgerald talked about his love for football.
“I’ve dedicated my life to it. I started playing tackle football when I was 6 years old on the 8-year-old team,” he said. “This time of the year this is all I have done. When you dedicate your life to something, put in this much time and effort, I wouldn’t say I need it, but I really enjoy it.
“To be able to roll out of bed every day, I don’t have to set my alarm clock. My feet hit the ground and I know it’s time to go to work. I’m excited about it and I understand this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The Cardinals hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury as their new head coach, in large part because of Kingsbury’s experience with quarterbacks. Arizona drafted Josh Rosen 10th overall last year.
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