The Pro Football Hall of Fame case for Larry Fitzgerald was airtight

Arizona Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will find out Thursday night if he’s a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee for the 2026 class.

But however the votes shake out, make no ifs, ands or buts about it: Fitzgerald is made for the Hall of Fame — Super Bowl ring or not.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 will be announced on Thursday night.

Will Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald be enshrined in his first year of eligibility?

Fitzgerald and other Cardinals give their thoughts from the WM Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-Am: pic.twitter.com/Z2KdZ7bcRf

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 4, 2026

“If I got to vote, he’s first ballot every day of the week,” Cardinals LB Zaven Collins told Arizona Sports on Wednesday. “He’s an unreal dude, unreal athlete, a great person of society around here. “I really appreciate what he’s done for us. He’s still involved with the Cardinals a lot. It’s really nice.”

A closer look at the illustrious career of one of the greatest Cardinals of all time:

Larry Fitzgerald’s Pro Football Hall of Fame resume

Enough said

Fitzgerald amassed 17,492 receiving yards on 1,432 receptions throughout 17 NFL seasons.

There’s only one pass catcher in NFL history who can truly say they did more in those departments: Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who sits atop the leaderboard for the most receiving yards (22,895) and catches (1,549).

Fitzgerald, however, has a leg up on Rice in another aspect — one that Cardinals fans truly appreciate.

He stayed put!

In a world where athletes change teams on the regular looking for that next big pay day, Fitzgerald was among the anomalies.

Seventeen seasons, 263 games played, all with the Cardinals.

And although he trails Rice in the categories mentioned above, it’s Fitzgerald holding the top spot when it comes to the getting it done with one team.

Rice really made a name for himself during his 49ers tenure, but it was Fitzgerald who strung together a better statistical career in the place he was drafted.

Fitzgerald also did it with 17 different starting quarterbacks! Despite that many cooks in the kitchen, he still found a way to consistently impact games.

11 for No. 11

Fitzgerald was a Pro Bowler more times than not during his time in the NFL, earning 11 nods.

That included a seven-year stretch from 2007-13 where he as a Pro Bowl regular.

Keeping it 100

Of Fitzgerald’s 263 career games, he posted at least 100 receiving yards in 49 of them.

Frequent end zone trips

While Davante Adams (117) is creeping closer to Fitzgerald’s mark of 121 touchdowns, the Cardinals legend sits sixth all-time.

Even if Adams and Mike Evans (108) move past Fitzgerald on the list, he’s still well within the top 10. The next closest active player is DeAndre Hopkins, who currently sits at No. 19 with 85.

Talk about consistent

You have to go pretty far back to find the last time Fitzgerald didn’t have a catch in an NFL game. How far back? Week 8 of his rookie season.

That’s right, Fitzgerald strung together a consecutive catches streak that last 256 games.

Another season and some change and Fitzgerald could have threatened Rice (274) for the top spot in that regard.

THE playoff run

Fitzgerald’s regular season numbers deserve a lot of love.

His playoff showing in 2008, though, was out of this world.

In his first taste of the postseason, Fitzgerald delivered behind 30 catches for 546 yards and seven touchdowns.

No other NFL pass catcher has had a run quite like Fitzgerald, who still holds the top spot for most receiving yards and scores in a single playoff run. His receptions rank fourth all-time.

A game-by-game look at the gashing Fitzgerald did to opposing defenses:

– vs. Atlanta: six catches for 101 yards and a TD
– vs. Carolina: Eight catches for 166 yards and a TD
– vs. Philadelphia: Nine catches for 152 yards and 3 TDs
– vs. Steelers: Seven catches for 127 yards and two TDs

It’s a stretch that hasn’t been duplicated since.

Just an overall good dude

This section may not carry nearly as much weight as the other statistical ones, but it’s still an important piece to who Fitzgerald is.

On top of his Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, Fitzgerald remains active in the Arizona community through his foundation that centers around youth education and breast cancer awareness.

As much as he got after it on the field, he’s left a lasting mark off of it and has impacted many.

The only knock?

The only thing that would give someone pause on Fitzgerald’s claim to the Hall of Fame would be the lack of Super Bowls on the resume.

But given his career and everything he did in Arizona, it’s a minute negative among a sea of positives.

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