Fitzgerald: ‘I don’t want to leave Arizona’
Aug 1, 2011, 5:23 PM | Updated: 6:35 pm
If the Cardinals were looking to prove to Larry Fitzgerald that they have a desire to win, they seem to have done exactly that.
“I’m so excited, this has been the most active we’ve been in free agency,” the receiver said. “I’m really anxious to have a full team on the practice field and see how explosive we really can be.
“You know, [Coach Whisenhunt] said a couple days ago we’re still going to be active in the market to address some more needs, and that’s really reassuring to know we’re going to go out there and we’re going to compete at a high level and try to win the NFC West this year.”
While Fitzgerald certainly wants to get paid like a premier player in the NFL, he has an intense desire to win. Coming off a 5-11 season, the team needed to improve in order to better their chances of keeping their best player past this season.
Fitzgerald, though, said he’s never really had any plans of leaving.
“I don’t want to leave Arizona,” he said. “This is where I started, I feel like this is my family here.”
“I love living in the Valley and I want to be here as long as I possibly can.”
That has to be comforting for not only fans, but the organization to hear as well. And, with big roster improvements seemingly out of the way, the Cardinals appear ready to focus on an extension for Fitzgerald, who will turn 28 in August. Fitzgerald, though, doesn’t want to discuss it.
“You have to talk to Coach Whiz and Mr. Graves about that type of stuff,” he said. “When you let yourself start thinking about other things that are not based on the team you lose focus and that’s what I really want to focus on, is bettering this team.
“Whenever it comes it will come.”
ArizonaSports.com’s Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this report
