Larry Fitzgerald's future will headline the offseason in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals have yet to determine if a divorce from their franchise wide receiver is necessary as his contract carries a big hit for the upcoming season. Fitzgerald is certainly still a threat on the field despite his age which means their could be a trade market for him if the Cardinals opt to go that direction.
Arizona's offseason started much sooner than they were hoping after they lost to the Carolina Panthers in the wild card round of the NFL. That is forcing Fitzgerald to consider his future sooner rather than later. The wide receiver admitted he was not ready to consider ending things.
"The taste of defeat is still the only thing I can think about right now," Fitzgerald said, via ESPN.com. "That's all that's on my mind. It's been a lot of fun. I love Arizona, love the Cardinals, love the city. This place has been great to play and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity to live my dream competing in the NFL."
According to AZCentral.com, the Cardinals and Fitzgerald have had preliminary, but productive talks regarding his contract. The wide receiver is due an $8 million bonus on March 17 while being a $23.6 million cap hit next season. The Cardinals need Fitzgerald to either restructure his contract or take a pay cut, something ESPN is saying he is not very keen on. A trade could be the only option for both parties to be happy.
Several teams would be very interested in bringing on Fitzgerald onto their team. The Cleveland Browns are currently looking to add a reliable deep threat to the roster. According to head coach Mike Pettine, the Browns are at a crossroads with Josh Gordon who could find himself released from the team this offseason. The wide receiver suffered a number of suspensions over the past two seasons and Pettine told the media that he is tired of using the word "potential" when describing Gordon is he is never on the field.
The Minnesota Vikings could be an option. The team is committed to Teddy Bridgewater as their starting quarterback and are aiming to build an offense around them. Cordarrelle Patterson was supposed to be his leading receiver, but that has yet to pan out and now the second-year pro is risking release. That would leave the Vikings with Greg Jennings and Charles Johnson. Fitzgerald would be welcomed.
The Cardinals must think quick when it comes to Fitzgerald. The wide receiver is an expensive asset and the team has other holes to fill and could use that money. While neither want to admit Fitzgerald's time is up in Arizona, it is a possibility.
