It’s time for the Cardinals to cut Larry Fitzgerald
The Arizona Cardinals are the only team wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has ever known. Drafted third-overall out of the University of Pittsburgh in 2004, Fitzgerald has provided fans in the desert with highlight-reel catches and a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Unfortunately, Fitzgerald might have played his last game in a Cardinals uniform.
Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in this era. The 31-year-old has notched five seasons of 10+ touchdowns, five seasons of 90+ catches and six 1,000-yard campaigns. In the last nine seasons when targets became an official statistic, Fitzgerald has had at least 103 every time. However, his production has begun to dip.
Over the past three years, Fitzgerald’s best numbers are 82 catches for 954 yards, both coming in 2013. The statline is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is not worth the cap hit coming for Arizona on Fitzgerald’s contract. After signing a seven-year, $113 million contract extension in Aug. 2011, Fitzgerald has underperformed the numbers. Partially because of bad quarterbacks and partly because of other talented receivers around him such as Michael Floyd, his value has dwindled.
Should the Cardinals decide to keep Fitzgerald at his current cap hit, he will command $23.6 million. Considering the projected cap limit is approximately $140 million, Fitzgerald is roping off about 15 percent of Arizona’s available money. When you factor in corner Patrick Peterson ($14.79M cap hit), defensive end Calais Campbell ($14.75M) and quarterback Carson Palmer’s ($14.5M) contracts for 2015, it becomes impossible to improve this up-and-coming team without major moves. The four aforementioned deals are worth $67.64 million, almost half the cap limit.
If Fitzgerald is cut with a post-June 1 designation, the Cardinals will save $16.25 million against the 2015 cap. Certainly, that money would go a long way toward improving the running back and offensive line situations. It has also been speculated that Fitzgerald is not thrilled with playing in the slot while rookie John Brown and Floyd play on the outside.
Ultimately, this is not a tough call for Arizona. Fitzgerald is a legend, but the time has come to part ways. As the Dallas Cowboys proved this year after cutting DeMarcus Ware, you can move on from a great player and actually be better. The Cardinals must address some of the problems across their roster, and can’t truly accomplish that without releasing Fitzgerald.
The receiver will land on his feet, likely commanding a two or three-year deal worth around $20 million with half of it guaranteed. There are plenty of contending teams which would be in the market, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks. Fitzgerald is no longer a top receiver, but he can provide a first-rate secondary target.
The Cardinals face an important offseason if they want to be a Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future. It should start with a painful, but correct, move.
