Patrick Peterson: ‘If Larry Fitzgerald ain’t retired yet, he ain’t gonna retire’

He may not be on the same sideline anymore, but that didn’t stop Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson from weighing in on what former Arizona Cardinals teammate Larry Fitzgerald’s future holds.

During the cornerback’s All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden on Tuesday, Peterson was short and sweet when asked whether or not the free agent wideout was hanging it up in 2021.

“If he isn’t retired yet, he ain’t gonna retire,” Peterson said.

But if that were the case, where would Fitzgerald fit in among a revamped Cardinals wide receivers room that now includes offseason additions A.J. Green and Rondale Moore to go along with DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Andy Isabella and KeeSean Johnson?

“You never know over there, you never know,” Peterson said.

“I think definitely they will find a way [to get him on the field],” the corner added. “If Larry wanted to come back later in the year or whatever, whenever the time may permit itself, they’ll find a way.”

Fitzgerald turned in a lackluster 2020, as a groin injury and COVID-19 sidelined the wideout for a total of three games. He finished the season with 54 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown, all career lows. Fitzgerald played a total of 66% of the team’s offensive snaps.

There’s also the possibility that Fitzgerald returns for an 18th season but decides to take his talents elsewhere. Two teams that have been linked to the wide receiver this offseason have been the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fitzgerald served as a ball boy for the Vikings during his youth and played under Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians during his time in Arizona.

“It’d be interesting if he wanted to come back to Minnesota but I necessarily don’t see that happening,” Peterson said. “If it was a team he was going back to, it’d be Arizona.

“Or I could see him going to Tampa, one of those two teams,” Peterson added. “Listen, at the end of the day, what Larry wants is a championship, period. When you look at his last year … he missed a couple games and obviously it was one of his lowest play counts in his career, but Larry understands the position he’s in right now.

“He’s not going to go out there and give you 40-50 plays a game. … He could probably go out there and give you a good 20 at least. Why not it be with a system you already know in Bruce Arians or come back to Arizona to — if they’re able to make the run — help those guys make a push in the playoffs?”

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