The Arizona Cardinals may look at a Larry Fitzgerald trade after the season due to the fact that the wideout is making a ton of money and if they do, teams like the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots or San Francisco 49ers could be interested in making a move, as he is still one of the top WRS in the league.
Fitzgerald is having a solid season for the Cards and he is one reason for their success, but moving forward his salary could be too much to justify. ESPN.com reporter John Weinfuss put some analysis together when Fitzgerald was being mentioned in trade rumors at the deadline and he wrote that the team could consider making a move due to roster issues. Fitzgerald makes a ton of money and with 11 players coming off of the books next season, the Cardinals may have to find a way to free up cap space.
Trading a player as popular and as skilled as Fitzgerald is never easy, but the team has watched John Brown and Michal Floyd emerge and that could make it easier. Floyd is more comparable to Fitzgerald in size and that could allow for a move, while Brown has been one of the biggest surprises in the league after being a late draft pick.
Fitzgerald keeps himself in great shape and even with that, he is getting into his 30s and that is a ton of money to pay a wide receiver. Fitzgerald is set to make $8 million in base salary next season and $15 million the year after that and his cap hit will be over $23 million for next year. The team likely will look for a trade, as the dead money on the contract over the next two seasons (this one and next one) is in the double digits and that is a lot to keep on. Fitzgerald could look at reworking his deal and that could be the first option the team and WR talk about before a trade comes down.
Fitzgerald was as consistent as anyone in his career, going for at least 90 catches in four of five seasons between 2007 and 2011 and also having five straight years of at least 1000 yards. As he continues to age, the Cardinals will have a tough decision to make and another team could step up and make a deal for Fitzgerald this offseason. Fitzgerald has been under 1,000 yards receiving in the past two seasons after going five straight seasons before that. Fitzgerald had also been consistent above 90 catches but that had gone down as well. Part of that has had to do with bad QB play and while the team now has Carson Palmer, it may not be enough, especially now that he is out for the season.
Fitzgerald will not make a stink about anything, because that is how he is as a pro and while the Cards obviously want to keep their star, money may keep it from happening. The Cardinals are leading the division and that likely means a deal will not go down, but keep an eye on this one in the offseason, as his name is sure to come up again.
