"Had a great run" - Larry Fitzgerald hints at calling it a day on his NFL career
For Larry Fitzgerald, 2021 was an odd year. It was his first year out of football, but the wide receiver never formally announced his retirement.
This led some to believe that there was a chance for an Eric Weddle-style comeback for one last run. Instead, the wide receiver never stepped on the field.
At this point, it looks like the decision has cemented itself for Arizona's favorite wideout.
Speaking to ESPN via Pro Football Talk, the wide receiver essentially called himself retired, moving on to other things. For some, what he said may serve as the wide receiver's equivalent to other players' retirement press conferences.
“I had a great run. It was fun. I wouldn’t change anything. I wish I could have delivered more for the Valley in terms of winning a championship, but that’s water under the bridge at this point. Unfortunately, most athletes, they’re told, ‘Your career is over.’ You don’t have much time to prepare,” Fitzgerald said.
It sounds as if the future Hall of Fame receiver has made an unofficial decision on his future in the league and is set to hang up his cleats. Fitzgerald continued with the following:
“You don’t have anything set up outside of the game to really help bridge that gap, and that’s when you see guys struggle. You got to think, I played 17 years, I made a million connections, I was able to do everything that I ever wanted to do in terms of preparing to be able to make a smooth transition.”
The wide receiver now hosts a podcast called Let's Go!, featuring himself, Jim Gray, and Tom Brady. The show currently has 49 episodes.
As this appears to be the end for Fitzgerald, what kind of legacy does the wide receiver leave behind?
Larry Fitzgerald: a career for the ages
Aside from not winning a championship, the wide receiver did everything he could to prove his greatness. From 2004 to the end of 2020, the wide receiver played as hard as he could, never falling into the "diva" category.
Despite plenty of chances to join another team, the wide receiver stayed put with the team that drafted him.
Larry Fitzgerald said Cooper Kupp’s playoff performance was better than Fitz’s in ‘08 season. “I got memories, he’s got hardware”
His best season came in 2008, when he had 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns. Despite not winning a championship, he played in the big game that same season with Kurt Warner.
It would be his only chance at a Lombardi.
Complete list of players with 8+ catches in 5 straight games since 1950:
Michael Thomas
Antonio Brown
Travis Kelce
Anquan Boldin
AMON-RA ST BROWN
Wes Welker
Andre Johnson
Marvin Harrison x2
Isaac Bruce
Larry Fitzgerald
Calvin Johnson
TJ Houshmandzadeh
Eric Moulds
Muhsin Muhammad
While the team struggled for much of the receiver's career, he never complained. He simply showed up to work every day, ready to play and playing well.
He ends his career with seven seasons of 95 or more catches. He also had five seasons with 10 or more receiving touchdowns.
Most impressively, the receiver had four seasons with more than 1,400 yards and 11 seasons with at least 940 yards.
Overall, he played in 263 games, earning 17,492 yards and 121 receiving touchdowns.