Cardinals GM: If Larry Fitzgerald is ready to play, ‘we’ll have a spot for him’

The Arizona Cardinals’ second-round selection of Purdue’s Rondale Moore certainly gives the team more depth in the wide receiver room, but where does that leave Larry Fitzgerald?

While Fitzgerald’s future is still up in the air following the NFL Draft, general manager Steve Keim isn’t pressing the pass catcher to make a decision sooner rather than later.

“He’s told me he likes the moves in the offseason and he’s excited, but he hasn’t told me his plans,” Keim told Sirius XM Mad Dog Radio’s Adam Schein on Tuesday. “I think with a guy like him, who I think has earned this right, a lot of times guys like that see how their body feels. They want to feel the motivation to go back out for another long, grueling season.

“Leave it up to him. I think he’s earned that right and if he tells us at some point that he’s ready to go, we’ll have a spot for him.”

Fitzgerald missed three games last season, two due to COVID-19 and another due to a groin injury.

In 13 games played, the wide receiver caught 54 of his 72 targets for 409 yards (fourth on the team) and a touchdown. He averaged 31.5 yards per game.

While his numbers were career lows, Fitzgerald’s intangibles as a leader and his willingness to do the little things can’t be measured.

“As you know, what a phenomenal person, phenomenal player. I don’t think there’s any question that you never close a door on a guy like that of course,” Keim said. “He’s earned the respect and to be able to make the decision on his own.

“We’ll leave that up to Larry, but I can tell you right now, there’s no finer person that I’ve ever been around than Larry Fitzgerald.”

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