Larry Fitzgerald won’t be Arizona Cardinals top receiver?

Aug 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald laughs on the sidelines in the first half against the Houston Texans during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald laughs on the sidelines in the first half against the Houston Texans during a preseason game at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s been a long time since Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t in line to be the Arizona Cardinals lead wide receiver, though it appears that his role as top dog will be supplanted by Michael Floyd.

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Such a transition essentially started to commence last season after Larry Fitzgerald’s future with the Arizona Cardinals became unknown. His future in the Valley of the Sun is still somewhat up in the air, at least after this season and it seems as if there has been a proverbial passing of the torch, even if Fitzgerald didn’t hand it over.

Trade rumors have circled around Fitzgerald’s name for some time and given his age (currently 31), it’s not known if he’ll be back next season (or if he’ll be on the roster past the NFL’s trade deadline). Given that, it’s more and more likely that Michael Floyd will take over the role as No. 1 wide receiver.

Such a ‘demotion’ might actually be a good thing for the Arizona Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald especially considering opponents are likely to place their top defensive back on Floyd moving forward.

That said, assuming Fitzgerald remains on the roster all season, he should produce very solid numbers no matter his role considering the Cardinals are going to be pass-happy yet again.

Still, it’s always a little weird to see a player of Fitzgerald’s caliber begin the slow slide into becoming just another guy, though he’s certainly not at that stage just yet. The former Pitt star has plenty of good years left, no matter what role he’s placed in.