Larry Fitzgerald could be answer to Patriots wide receiver problems

Larry Fitzgerald has said he wants to retire a Cardinal — but playing for Bill Belichick could give the former Arizona wide receiver the ring he deserves.

During the 2021 NFL offseason, the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals each had their share of flashy acquisitions. The Cards brought in J.J. Watt and A.J. Green to bolster their superstar roster, while the Patriots spent millions on Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor and Matt Judon.

Amidst the shuffle, a first-ballot Hall of Fame wide receiver was dropped in favor of younger options. It happens every year, but the irony of leaving out Larry Fitzgerald right when the Cardinals have a playoff chance is a cruel way to repay years of undeserving loyalty.

That’s right: Larry Fitzgerald hasn’t officially retired, yet he’s not opening the season alongside his teammates at Nissan Stadium. A Cardinals legend responsible for the franchise’s 2008 Super Bowl run, Larry Fitzgerald enters the 2021 season egregiously left off an NFL roster as he continues to float in free agency.

For someone who has been named “the NFL’s Most-Liked Player” by Forbes, being left in free agency wastes the multitude of talents Fitzgerald still has to give to the game, even at 38 years old. After all, this is the man with more tackles as a wide receiver than dropped passes — being dropped in free agency and into forced retirement is unthinkable for the NFL great.

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Fitzgerald’s career should go out with a bang, not a whimper. And that’s something he could accomplish as he bring the New England Patriots another championship.

Larry Fitzgerald hangs up his cleats — for now

For a guy unceremoniously bumped off the roster after 16 years, Fitzgerald seems to be at peace with spending his September on the sidelines. He made headlines this August when he admitted that he doesn’t “have the urge to play” in the NFL at the moment.

“To be honest with you, I just don’t have the urge to play right now,” Fitzgerald said in an interview. “I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward but I just, today, I just don’t have that urge. And 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.”

On “Let’s Go!”, the Sirius XM Mad Dog radio show he co-hosts with Jim Gray and Tom Brady, Fitzgerald recently elaborated on how he feels heading into the 2021 season.

“I miss the interaction with my teammates, but I’m in a good place,” Fitzgerald said. “Spending time with the family, playing a little golf, doing a little travel, a chance to spend some time with people you never really get a chance to spend time with at this time of year.

The desire to play at this time is the same as it’s been. I’m very comfortable with that. But you never know what tomorrow holds. Right now I’m very content. I’m very content.”

“I don’t think it’s really kind of set into me mentally like that yet,” Fitz said when asked about giving up the game he loves — an answer that could hint at retirement, or at a desire to play the game if the right opportunity presents itself.

Although unlikely, if Fitzgerald were willing to leave Glendale, New England would be the place to go. Not only does it have an impressive rookie quarterback and a dearth of wide receiver options, but it has someone with whom Fitzgerald has long admired: Bill Belichick.

Patriots: Larry Fitzgerald is the ideal Bill Belichick-style football player

Ignoring his immense talent as a wide receiver, Fitzgerald has become famous for his kindness, a quality that actually influences the way he plays.

Fitzgerald’s devoted team-first mentality is exactly the mindset Bill Belichick has sought in players during his 21 years in New England. The Patriots are famous for giving troubled players second chances, as well as cutting superb players who weren’t willing to “do their job.” After facing the Cardinals receiver for the fifth time since he was drafted in 2004, Belichick spoke on how the wideout is “the Peyton Manning of receivers.”

“Larry’s a very dedicated football player,” Belichick said. “He’s very knowledgeable in all phases of the game, but particularly the passing game and techniques, training, fundamentals. He is, I would say, to receivers, what Peyton Manning was to quarterbacks in terms of that type of total obsession of knowing everything about the position and how to do things and how to convey those to his teammates.”

The feeling is mutual, as Fitzgerald spoke on how Belichick elevates the game.

“It’s been great, I’ve had a wonderful relationship with Belichick for a long time,” Fitzgerald said. “My uncle went to high school with him. I got introduced to him probably like 12 or 13 years ago and stayed in pretty good contact with him. I have a lot of respect for Coach as a man and obviously as a Hall of Fame football coach. The greatest mind to ever coach the game.”

Aside from team loyalty and respect for the game, Fitzgerald and Belichick share another elegant distinction: both made the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2020. Fitzgerald was the only active player besides Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to make the list.

During the broadcast, Belichick praised Fitzgerald for having “a special kind of toughness” for making 17,492 yards on 1,432 receptions over the course of his career.

What Larry Fitzgerald could bring to New England

Fitzgerald has said for years that he’s unwilling to play for any other team, but if the Cardinals won’t resign him, he has the most to offer an organization with a head coach that recognizes his gifts.

If Fitzgerald did join the Patriots this season, his veteran presence would be invaluable to a locker room filled with new players led by a rookie quarterback. Fitzgerald could work with Mac Jones and develop a stable rapport that gets New England air yards and presents an aerial threat. Having Fitzgerald on the field would challenge opposing defenses to cover him. At 38, he would still be tough to cover due his route-running and football intelligence.

Fitzgerald’s numbers last year don’t indicate a loss of skill, but more an outshining by DeAndre Hopkins. While Fitzgerald saw under 100 targets for the first time in his career, he caught 75 percent of them — his second-best catch rate on any season.

Even if Fitzgerald only saw a few snaps per game, he could serve the role LeSean McCoy did last season in the Buccaneers running back room, offering guidance to help budding players develop their skills.

Although Fitzgerald no longer has a place on the Cardinals, New England is a team in particular need of a true star wide receiver. And the best one the NFL has seen in decades — and one that has earned the hard-won respect of Belichick — is a union that could push New England through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory.

While Fitzgerald considers his options as a spectator this fall, he would be more than welcome to join the Patriots and finalize his legacy the way it deserves to be honored.