USA Today via Reuters
September 13, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) runs in front of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
September 13, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) runs in front of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Larry Fitzgerald Jr. arrived in the NFL back in 2004 as the 3rd overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals. The former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver was a highly regarded college football prospect and was expected to set the NFL on fire. Almost 17 years later, it’s safe to say he certainly did manage to light a spark every now and then.
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Since making his debut, Fitzgerald has 17,492 receiving yards and 121 receiving TDs to his name. Furthermore, the long-time Cardinals wideout has been voted to the Pro Bowl on 11 occasions.
After 17 seasons in Arizona, the 37-year-old wideout entered free agency this summer. There are rumors that he is currently contemplating retirement. But before that, let’s take a trip down memory lane during Fitzgerald Jr’s epic post-season run in 2008.
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Will Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. retire in 2021?
Minnesota-born Larry Fitzgerald Jr. starred for the Arizona Cardinals over the course of the 2008 NFL season. The star wide receiver finished the season with 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns. This was the first time in his career that Arizona concluded their campaign with a winning record at 9–7 and subsequently made the playoffs.
In 2008, @LarryFitzgerald had arguably the greatest postseason by a single player.
In four games, he had 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/3fW0lRzuNJ
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 24, 2021
Fitz went on to have an even better outing in the post-season. He set the single postseason record for a wideout with 546 receiving yards, 30 receptions, and 7 touchdown receptions. The 2004 NFL draft pick surpassed Jerry Rice’s record from the 1988–89 NFL playoffs.
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The Cardinals made it to Super Bowl XLIII, but Ben Roethlisberger’s Pittsburgh Steelers outplayed them. Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes late in the game, including a 64-yard touchdown reception from Kurt Warner which put Arizona in the lead at 23-20.
But they could not see out a win as the Steelers scored a touchdown with 35 seconds left on the clock before sealing a 27-23 win. Regardless, his performances from the epic 2008 season certainly put him right up there with the best wide receivers of all time.
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As for the 2021 season, Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury is still waiting for a response from Larry. The veteran is still unsure if he wants to continue playing or hang up his boots for good at this point in time. Watch this space for more.
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