[ad_1]
In May, speculation surrounding Larry Fitzgerald potentially ending his career with the Minnesota Vikings swirled with several sites writing about how the free agent wide receiver would be a great fit in Minnesota.
That speculation has returned thanks to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
On Tuesday Florio wrote a story about how Chad Beebe hoped to be the third wide receiver on the Vikings’ depth chart.
His story, however, ended with these comments about Fitzgerald.
He wrote: “The chips could still fall in the shape of a homecoming for Minnesota native Larry Fitzgerald. A ball boy for the 1998 Vikings, Fitzgerald could be taking a wait-and-see approach as to whether the team will put a legitimate contender on the field in 2021. Until he officially retires or signs with another team, it’s a possibility that can’t be completely dismissed.”
More: Arizona Cardinals ‘ideal’ landing spot for star wide receiver in trade
Could Fitzgerald end his career with the Vikings?
It certainly could be a possibility.
Fitzgerald is from Minnesota and his father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a long-time sports reporter there.
It’s hard to imagine the Cardinals wide receiver in another uniform, but if it were to happen, a Vikings uniform would make a lot of sense.
Zonecoverage.com speculated about Fitzgerald ending his career with the Vikings this season.
Ethan Thomas wrote: “That’s the dream. Minnesota boy done good comes home to finish his career with the purple. We have discussed this topic over and over and over for months. Many assumed Fitzgerald was going to retire. But if the most obvious answer is usually the right answer, it’s easy to believe that he won’t. There is no reason to drag a retirement announcement out this long. The only reason to wait this long is to avoid training camp and see where your services could best be utilized on a contender. … It’s my belief that Fitzgerald will absolutely be on a football field this year and is just waiting and weighing his options. Minnesota has done everything it can to assemble a team and make a run at a Super Bowl. Yes, those non stop questions remain. But they can cross one off the list if Larry winds up in Minnesota. He is absolutely still an option and Vikings fans should keep their eyes on his situation.”
More: Larry Fitzgerald speculation brings out various emotions for Arizona Cardinals, NFL fans
Interestingly, in June, Fitzgerald’s former teammate on the Cardinals, Patrick Peterson, who now plays for the Vikings, made some predictions about Fitzgerald’s future.
“If he ain’t retired yet, he ain’t going to retire,” Peterson said of Fitzgerald on his All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden.
Peterson seemed to think Fitzgerald would end up back in Arizona.
“I think they will definitely find a way, they will find a way for it. If Larry definitely wanted to come back late in the year, or whenever the time may permit itself, they will find a way.
“That would be interesting if he wanted to come back to Minnesota, but I necessarily don’t see that happening. If there was a team that he was going back to it would be Arizona.”
More: Larry Fitzgerald playing odds with Arizona Cardinals for 2021-22 NFL season take big turn
There has been some momentum growing for Fitzgerald to play this season.
Earlier this month, BetOnline put the odds of Fitzgerald playing in the NFL this season at -180, or 5/9 odds (implied probability of 64%).
It had him not playing this season at +140, or 7/5 odds (implied probability of 42%).
That’s a big difference from what the site had for Fitzgerald’s odds a few months ago.
It had him at -500 to retire (implied probability of 83.3%) in April and +300 not to retire (implied probability of 24%).
At the start of training camp, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said the team will have a spot available if Fitzgerald decided to return for an 18th season. Kingsbury added the ball is in Fitzgerald’s court.
“With Fitz you never know,” Kingsbury said of the situation. “I’m sure he’ll be in shape and ready to go if he gets that itch.”
More: C.J. Henderson trade speculation includes Arizona Cardinals, Chandler Jones
Fitzgerald has been with the Cardinals, the team that drafted him, for 17 seasons.
He has played in 263 games, getting 1,432 receptions for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns, becoming one of the best wide receivers in NFL history and a first-ballot selection for the Hall of Fame.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
[ad_2]
Source link