The Arizona Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald could be heading towards a trade and a team like the Oakland Raiders or Cleveland Browns could be interested, as the Raiders don't have much at WR past James Jones and Andre Holmes, as Denarius Moore has been an overall disappointment and fantasy bust and if the Cards want to deal Fitzgerald, the Raiders have the money to make the move.
While this trade is very unlikely, ESPN.com reporter John Weinfuss looked at things from the Cardinals perspective and even though Fitzgerald is a star player, he fits the template of someone that could be traded. The Raiders came into the season with high expectations and those were dashed very quickly, as they are still the only team in the league without a win after the Jaguars won over the Browns this past weekend.
The Raiders have gotten some solid work from James Jones and Andre Holmes, but Denarius Moore has been a bust and now the team has to find a way to get playmakers on the roster. Adding an aging player like Fitzgerald may not be the best way to do that, but the team has the money to make a move and with the way things are going, Reggie McKenzie may need a hail Mary anyway.
Fitzgerald signed a massive seven year extension with the team and he is right in the middle of it now and the Cardinals know that a big hit is coming. Next season the cap hit goes north of $20 million and that is a ton for an aging player at WR. On top of that, Weinfuss writes that the team has 11 players coming off the books and with some of those key names, the Cardinals will have to find a way to clear out some space and with a cap hit that big, Fitzgerald could be the casualty.
Trading Fitzgerald seems ridiculous in some ways, but based on the money he is making, his age and the emergence of Michael Floyd and rookie John Brown, the Cards likely could survive if he is moved. The Cardinals were almost a playoff team last season and over the past two years Fitzgerald has been below his usual numbers, finishing with less than 1,000 yards the last two years. Before that he was over 1K in five straight seasons and he had had 90 catches or more in four straight years before 2011.
The Arizona Cardinals may look to trade Larry Fitzgerald at some point in the future and some options for the team include the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, NY Giants and Miami Dolphins, as those teams could be motivated to make a move due to injuries and other factors and some of those have the money to make it happen. Obviously this is a long shot, but stranger things have happened and he is making a ton of money.
The Raiders have been terrible and this could be a last ditch move for the team. The Cardinals may wait until after the season to make a move, but it's likely something will happen between the team and Fitzgerald ahead of that massive cap hit.
