The Arizona Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald could be headed for a split in 2015 through a trade or the release of the wide receiver and if that happens, teams like the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns all could be interested in acquiring him.
The Cardinals have said they want Fitzgerald back next year, but it may not be that simple, as the wide receiver costs a ton on the salary cap. According to ESPN.com, Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said that he thinks that Fitzgerald will be on the team in 2015 and that would mean the two sides will come to some sort of agreement on a new contract. ESPN.com reports that there "is almost zero chance" Fitzgerald stays at his current cap number, as that is over $20 million for the upcoming season.
Fox Sports Arizona reported earlier this offseason that Fitzgerald likely will not be with the team in 2015, as he may not be willing to take a pay cut. Fitzgerald has a cap hit over $20 million and that is a lot for any one player, especially one that will be 32 when the season starts. The site later said that the two sides have "positive movement" on a deal, but that doesn't mean they will be able to come to an agreement this offseason.
Fitzgerald was the leading receiver for the Cardinals last season, but he had just 63 catches for 784 yards and two touchdowns, his lowest score total of his career. Fitzgerald's total of 63 receptions were his lowest total since he was a rookie and now it has been three straight years of being held to less than 1000 yards receiving after he did it for five straight seasons.
Fitzgerald is making a ton of money and while he still is one of the most talented receivers in the league, he is past 30 and does not put up numbers like he used to. Fitzgerald reportedly has not been happy with how he has been used in the offense over the past couple years, as he has been lined up more as the slot receiver and has not been as much of a playmaker. Arizona wants to keep Fitzgerald, but at that price it will be hard to build up the rest of the roster.
The Cardinals could have been a sleeper Super Bowl team this year, but the injuries at quarterback kept that from happening. That has also been another issue for Fitzgerald over the years, as the Cardinals have not had a great stable of quarterbacks for him apart from Kurt Warner, who led the team to Fitzgerald's only Super Bowl appearance.
The Cardinals were leading the NFC west for a while this season, but things started to get really tough on offense once Carson Palmer went down. The team turned to Drew Stanton and he also went down with an injury, leaving Bruce Arians with Ryan Lindley to start against the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs. Arizona ended up having a historically bad offensive game in the playoffs and now that could be the final game for Fitzgerald with the Cardinals.
