Larry Fitzgerald: “The Fire Is Still Burning Inside Me”

Larry Fitzgerald decided to give it a go for one more year. One of the greatest wide receivers of all times, and the heart and soul of the Arizona Cardinals decided to stay one more season with his club and to sign a one-year deal.

The contract is expected to be worth around $11 million, same as in the previous two years, though it is not still confirmed. But money is the biggest thing in this story.

With and without Fitzgerald on board, the Cardinals are not the same franchise, no matter the result they make.

“No player has meant more to this franchise or this community than Larry Fitzgerald,” president of the team Michael Bidwill stated when revealing the news.

ICYMI: @AZCardinals president Michael Bidwill announced that Larry Fitzgerald is coming back for the 2019 season and what went into Fitz's decision. https://t.co/4QYl39J0BR

— Wolf & Luke on Arizona Sports (@WolfandLuke) January 23, 2019

Bidwill is aware of everything above mentioned, and that is why he announced this with a big happy note, which might mobilize the frustrated Cardinals fans, who are craving for some changes and better results.

Since 2015, when they got smashed in the NFC Championship game to Carolina Panthers, Cardinals haven’t had a winning campaign.

Fitzgerald isn’t done yet, regardless of the fact that he has 36 years.

“A fire burned inside of me my rookie year,” he wrote, on his Instagram account “a desire, over all else, to be great. To excel on the field. To impact the lives of others off of it. I’m grateful that the fire still burns just as bright today, and that this organization has let me chase that fire for well over a decade.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs-5utQhTUy/

There are many reasons for his stay. But according to many experts and inside sources, the wave of changes among the Cardinals inspired the veteran to be here for one more year.

The fact that the Cardinals have young and talented Josh Rosen as a quarterback, and the No.1 pick in the upcoming draft, opens a possibility of making a huge noise next season. Plus, David Johnson will be much better, when he fully recovers from his devastating injury and reaches his old form, no doubt about that.

 

But most of all, Fitzgerald’s decision to stay might be because of Kliff Kingsbury’s arrival. The former Texas Tech head coach is known for his offensive creativity, and his passing oriented attack.

We’ve seen many teams who are drastically improved with the addition of the fresh blood at the coaching position. Plus, Kingsbury will for sure know who to take as the No.1 pick, because he played against most of the top college players recently.

After a tough year during which No.11 had only 734 receiving yards in 69 catches, and six touchdowns, the most dominant wide receiver in this decade wants to both help his new team develop, and prove to himself that he can still beat his opponents.

Fitzgerald already told the media five days ago, that he likes the style of play preferred by the new head coach. That might have been the first hint of his decision to stick around for one more year.

Especially after stating that “the future is right now,” with Kingsbury in charge at Arizona.

The Cardinals went 3-13 this season, which is not a good way to say goodbye after such an iconic career. Plus, the prospect of laying the foundation for something which he might leave behind as a legacy, was too tempting for a competitive character like Fitzgerald to miss.

“Nothing excites me more than continuing to chase greatness with everyone here on and off the field.” he also wrote on Instagram.

https://twitter.com/MyBookie_NFL/status/1088105003959635968

In almost 15 years as a Cardinal, Fitzgerald never desired to get out of Arizona, despite being one of the most attractive players in the league. His records and achievements are numerous, and it would take hours to write about them, so we aren’t going to.

However, the biggest one is already mentioned at the beginning of the text. He is the heart and soul of the Arizona Cardinals franchise.

And will be forever.