NFL Rumors: Fitzgerald Staying In Arizona?

Following what was a terrible 2010 season in Arizona where the team went with a quarterback tandem that included the like of Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton, it would make sense for the teams best player, Larry Fitzgerald, to want to keep all of his options open as he enters the final year of his contract. The Cardinals realize that there best chance of re-signing to Fitzgerald to an extension will be to bring a quarterback that can consistent get him the ball and produce.

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes that the “money will not be an issue [in the next deal]. The Cardinals are expected to meet Fitzgerald’s desires in that area. As last season progressed, however, Fitzgerald talked more and more about wanting to make sure he played for a winner. He was always careful not to talk about having a better quarterback — Fitzgerald is too smart for that — but it was not difficult to read between the lines.”

The real problem for Arizona is that their options for upgrading the quarterback position do not include any certainties. They could trade for a veteran quarterback like, Carson Palmer, Kyle Orton or Kevin Kolb but these options would require a new CBA and valuable draft picks. The Cardinals could sign a free agent like Marc Bulger or Matt Hasselbeck but both options have limited longterm value. There are some decent options in the draft but Arizona currently sits at No. 5 and there’s a really good chance that neither of the two best quarterbacks will be available once the Cardinals are on the clock.

Losing a player like Fitzgerald would definitely be a set back for the team and it would leave them with one of the worst offenses in the league so doing what they can to keep him around is a worthy investment. Fitzgerald is just asking for a chance to compete and if you cannot win games while playing in what is considered to be the worst division in the NFL by far, then you really don’t deserve to have talented players.