The NFL trade deadline can be a crazy time, but that is mostly about speculation and not about actual deals and that appears to be happening again with Larry Fitzgerald, as the wide receiver has come up in trade rumors and while the Cardinals want to keep him, some teams that could fit for him includes the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
According to ESPN.com, Fitzgerald's name came up in trade rumors due to the size of his contract and the report said that he could be in play after the 2013 season, but the Cardinals have refuted that claim. In another ESPN.com story, general manager Steve Keim said that he has not spoken to any other teams about the wide receiver and that he plans on having with the Cardinals for the long term. Fitzgerald has a very big contract with a number of years left, including an $18 million salary cap hit next season and that comes after he signed a $100 million-plus contract extension two years ago.
His contract is the reason he has come up in trade rumors since the Cards may want to move it, but it is also a reason why he likely will not get traded, as that may be too much for another team to take on. Fitz is one of the most productive receivers in the league and he now is the youngest player to reach 800 catches according to ESPN.com. The Cardinals and are working on rebuilding and while Fitzgerald is one of the best players in the league, the team may want some financial room to work on building back up the roster since getting Carson Palmer. The team easily could get a nice package for Fitz.
Fitzgerald had put up some amazing numbers in his career and while he snapped his streak of five seasons with 1,000 yards last year, that was more the fault of the offense and terrible quarterbacks rather than his own. Fitzgerald is having a solid season with 470 yards and five touchdowns with 36 catches and he had a great game a few weeks ago with six catches for 117 yards, but the Cardinals are not a great team and they could decide to change things up.
Fitz has been a healthy player through his career and while teams like the Packers, Patriots, Colts and Ravens all could use a receiver, they may not be willing to part with a high amount of picks to get him. Fitzgerald has not missed a game since back in 2007 with the Cardinals and that was only one game and his best season came in 2008 when he had 96 catches for a career high 1,431 yards. He has put up some amazing numbers in his career, including three straight seasons with double digit TD catches and in those seasons he had at least 96 receptions, with 100 coming in 2007.
The Packers and Pats are too conservative for this type of deal and with the Colts already pulling one off for Trent Richardson, they are likely out too. The Ravens are a wild card, but after putting all that money into Joe Flacco, they probably will sit tight as well and that is the move the Cards will likely make.