The wide receiving corps for the New England Patriots was certainly not the norm in 2013. After letting go of Wes Welker, the team signed Danny Amendola to a large contract hoping he could replace the production. That failed to work out, leaving quarterback Tom Brady with rookies and inexperience on the field. Heading into 2014, the team must improve the roster and Larry Fitzgerald could be an option.
The Patriots continued to look for receiving help throughout the season as Amendola was constantly getting injured. According to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com, the team was highly interested in Arizona receiver Fitzgerald and sent out "feelers" to determine what it would take to land the star. A deal was never made, but could possibly come up again in the offseason.
Fitzgerald will be 31 before the 2014 season kicks off. He is going to be a heavy $18 million salary cap hit for the Cardinals. That is a lot of money to dedicate to one player no matter how great they are. Trade rumors and release rumors have been quietly popping up around the veteran, but so far nothing has happened.
The Cardinals will be looking for financial relief this offseason so they can add a few free agents to the roster that performed better than expected in 2013. Fitzgerald could be asked to restructure his current deal, but the wide receiver told the Arizona Republic that a pay cut is out of the question. The paper reports that the Cardinals have approached the receiver's agent to negotiate a new contract, but Fitzgerald is not interested in lowering his salary. If push comes to shove for the team, he could be out.
Could the Patriots make another run at Fitzgerald this offseason? That could be a strong possibility depending on what happens with Julian Edelman and Amendola. Edelman is set to be a free agent in March. The receiver is finishing a one-year, bare minimum contract and after a standout season will likely command more money. Amendola may or may not need surgery on a groin issue that plagued him for much of the year. Many predict he could be a cap space casulaity after a disappoiting debut season. If both or even one wide receiver leaves, the Patriots will be searching for a big name.
Fitzgerald is coming off a season where he put up 954 yards on 82 catches. It was his second-straight season of fewer than 1,000 receiving yards. The wide receiver still has plenty of juice left in him and while Bill Belichick normally steers clear of big offseason moves, this one might need to be made.
