Larry Fitzgerald proclaims his love for Cardinals

While rumors can circulate all they want around Larry Fitzgerald, the former All-Pro and future Hall of Famer has stated that he won’t be suiting up for anyone but the Cardinals.

It’s a rarity these days in professional sports, to find the man and the player willing to stick it out with the same club for the duration of his career. With free agency swallowing every offseason alive, no matter the league, the temptation to sign for large dollars to play with large stars is real and always looming.

The same can certainly be said for the players who demand a trade when their current club is floundering. We point at these as flaws but the truth is that the drive to win never really goes away. Any athlete worth his salt will tell you the same. Any NFL player will surely harp on the need for rings.

Players strive upon legacy. There’s no riddle to be found here. Wins are as equal to that as yards and receptions. So forgive us when the unusual comes about and a wide receiver, dare we say one of the greatest to ever play the game, is so adamant on finishing his tenure with the same team that drafted him some 14 years ago.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com reported earlier the statements of Larry Fitzgerald: He will be suiting up for the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, if he isn’t suiting up for the Cards, he isn’t suiting up for anyone.

Color us not surprised to hear these words from one of the classiest the NFL has ever witnessed. Let it be known that Fitzgerald wants to win. It’s no indication that his desire has left him. It’s simply the mark of someone not intent on burning his NFL home to chase further glory. It’s the pattern (and this is truly a pattern) of a guy whose last real shot at a Super Bowl title came during the Kurt Warner era.

We’ve seen these rumors float about every time the NFL goes into hibernation mode. With each draft that comes around and every training camp that starts anew, fans start to wonder: Where’s Larry going? Is it off to New England? Aaron Rodgers could use him in Green Bay. Hell, every team could use a going-on 35-year-old who just put up another 100-catch season (his third in a row).

But the answer is always the same: I’m not going anywhere.

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It’s a love hard to find. The love between one athlete and the city he’s played for his entire professional life can’t be overstated. To have one on your team is a blessing. To have one on your team who also happens to be a future Hall of Famer? You cherish them. With talk as well circulating that Fitz could set his sights sometime soon on retirement, you better love him until the last yard.