Cards WR Fitzgerald still undecided on return
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald still has not made a decision about whether to return for a 16th NFL season.
Kliff Kingsbury says he’s working closely with and leaning heavily on GM Steve Keim to identify potential candidates for his first staff. “We don’t care if we know them, let’s make sure we get the right coaches for us right now,” Kingsbury said.
Fitzgerald told ESPN’s Adam Schefter via text message this week that he is taking some time to collect his thoughts after a grueling season in which Arizona finished with the worst record in the NFL and landed the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft.
The Cardinals have a new head coach in Kliff Kingsbury, but that has not swayed Fitzgerald one way or another.
During his introductory news conference this week, Kingsbury said he would love to have Fitzgerald on the team next season but would let the front office figure out whether the wide receiver was coming back.
“I’ll leave it to these guys who write the checks,” Kingsbury said. “Like I said, what a great role model, what a great leader to have on your team, and I would be honored and love to work with him. He’s a guy that I’ve admired from afar for a long time, and I think we all hope that he’ll be back.”
In 2018, Fitzgerald did not announce his decision on playing until mid-February.
Fitzgerald, who had 69 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns this season, would be 36 years old during the 2019 season. He is solidly No. 2 in career receiving yards, trailing Jerry Rice by more than 6,000 yards, but could pass Tony Gonzalez for second on the career receptions list if he returns. Fitzgerald would need 23 catches to pass Gonzalez.