Larry Fitzgerald on football future: ‘I just don’t have the urge to play’
Aug 20, 2021, 12:16 PM | Updated: 2:50 pm
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) is tackled by Washington Football Team cornerback Jimmy Moreland (20) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
(AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
Free agent receiver Larry Fitzgerald said on his new SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show with Jim Gray that he does not have an itch to return for his 18th NFL season but did not rule out a return to the field this season.
“For now, I’ll be a radio broadcaster,” Fitzgerald said on Let’s Go. “To be honest with you, I just don’t have the urge to play right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward, but as of today I just don’t have the urge.
“I think I have to be respectful of that. Football is not one of those games you want to walk out there and play and not be fully engaged and ready to prepare and do the things necessary that you need to do.”
.@LarryFitzgerald on his future in the @NFL: "I just don't have the urge to play right now." Hear a special Training Camp edition of 'Let’s Go! with @TomBrady, Larry Fitzgerald and @JimGrayOfficial' tonight at 6pm ET on @MadDogRadio. https://t.co/nDNoOB5MOX pic.twitter.com/2IeBqSbGi4
— SiriusXM (@SIRIUSXM) August 20, 2021
The full interview will air at 3 p.m. MST on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel.
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Fitzgerald, who has played 17 seasons, is already a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a career that has seen him lead the league in receptions twice, record nine 1,000-yard seasons, earn 11 Pro Bowl selections and one All-Pro selection, win the 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award and record a whopping 942 receiving yards in just nine career playoff games.
He enters 2021 with 17,492 career receiving yards, second all-time behind only Jerry Rice (22,895). The Cardinals legend also ranks second all-time behind Rice (1,549) with 1,432 receptions and is sixth in receiving touchdowns (121).
Fitzgerald finished 2020 with a career-low 409 receiving yards and a single touchdown. He made 54 catches on 72 targets from quarterback Kyler Murray.
Fitzgerald was inactive in the 2020 season finale, an 18-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, due to a groin injury. The game marked the first missed outing because of an injury since 2014, though Fitzgerald did miss two more games last season on the COVID-19 reserve list.
