Moore: Here are the best reasons why Larry Fitzgerald should return for the Cardinals

There surely must be a good reason why the Arizona Cardinals haven’t announced the return of Larry Fitzgerald.

It’s time to get the GOAT out of the barn and back on the field where he belongs.

The Cardinals have a job open now that DeAndre Hopkins is probably out for the season with a bum knee.

The Cardinals need a boost. (Sorta like those of us who’ve had a COVID-19 vaccination?)

And what could possibly be better than the return of the greatest of all time?

My colleague Kent Somers gave you two very solid reasons why Fitzgerald probably isn’t coming back.

Well, there are four games left in the regular season and potentially three playoff games to win to reach the Super Bowl, so here are SEVEN reasons why Fitzgerald SHOULD be coming back.

1. They say the Cardinals have enough depth at wide receiver without Fitz.

Antoine Wesley, Christian Kirk, (my cousin) Rondale Moore (OK, he’s not really my cousin) and AJ Green are terrific playmakers.

Wesley has made the best of his opportunities. Kirk is a firecracker in cleats. Moore is so quick he can turn off his reading lamp and finish one more chapter before the room goes dark. And Green is statistically one of the best receivers of his generation.

And the Cardinals STILL should sign Larry Fitzgerald because he can electrify this fanbase in ways those other guys can’t.

Fitzgerald can make people believe.

Hope and optimism are huge areas of need for a skeptical fanbase watching a Kliff Kingsbury team sputter toward the finish line — again.

2. We’re hearing Fitz is content with his life away from football.

So what?

I’m content typing these words. You’re probably content reading them. Think we wouldn’t be even more content with a fat pay raise or a Super Bowl ring or 40,000 people cheering our every move and wearing shirts with our names on them?

Read more: Cardinals fans call for Larry Fitzgerald's return

3. They say he’s lost a step.

(So, first of all, that’s a cliché. People who communicate for a living shouldn’t write or speak in clichés. “Lost a step” is also an idiomatic expression that has no meaning in linguistic context. If one “lost” a step, one would presume that step could be “found.” But, hey, I ain’t no English teacher or nothing, so lemme stick to football.)

Who cares that one of the greatest, most diligent, most prepared, hardest working players in the history of American sports isn’t as fast or as strong as he was 10 years ago?

The guess here is that Fitzgerald would make the catch on fourth-and-2 at the Rams’ 14-yard line, trailing by 14 points late in the third quarter. (Not that that was the scenario where Hopkins let a ball bounce off his face or anything.)

4. Someone told me Fitz had an awful season in 2020.

You know what? We ALL had an awful 2020. That’s going to go down as one of the worst years ever. But aside from that, Fitzgerald still made plays.

Arizona lost to San Francisco 20-12 late last season, but the Cardinals had a chance to win it on the final drive.

On that final drive, Fitzgerald had two catches for 13 yards, including a first-down grab over the middle, with less than a minute on the clock.

5. He’s probably not in football shape.

That’s probably true.

If the Cardinals would quit preening their feathers and sign the guy, he could start practicing and be ready in time for the playoffs.

Fitzgerald has 57 catches for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine career postseason games.

Wesley, Kirk, my “cousin” Rondale and Green have combined for 18 catches, 232 yards and one touchdown. (And, yes, all of those stats belong to Green in his four playoff games.)

6. Fitz doesn’t know the playbook.

There is probably no easier position to learn on a football field than wide receiver.

Presumably, the offensive vocabulary hasn’t changed too much since last season.

And quarterback Kyler Murray signals routes at the line of scrimmage much of the time, anyway.

It’s an obstacle, but not something that couldn’t be overcome.

7. He hasn’t said no.

It wouldn’t take much to put this speculation away.

A tweet. An Instagram post. A statement through a publicist. A note to one of his many contacts in local or national media. Any or all of these would be sufficient.

None of this has happened.

Time to get the GOAT out of the barn and back on the field where he belongs.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Moore: Arizona needs to get the GOAT Larry Fitzgerald back in pads