The Arizona Cardinals have Larry Fitzgerald and there is a chance that the team could look at a trade this season, as teams like the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins or NY Giants could be interested in making a move, as Fitzgerald has a big contract and with a number of free agents hitting the market next summer for the team, he could be the one to get moved.
Fitzgerald is coming off of his best game of the season so far and that likely has made the trade talk die down, but once the deadline gets closer, it should pick up again. According to the ESPN.com team blogger Josh Weinfuss, the Cardinals may consider a deal this season or after the year is over due to the fact that Fitzgerald has a massive contract and it getting past his prime. The Patriots had been looked at as a prime target if the trade was to go down, but that was before the past two games when the offense was struggling and now it looks back on track.
The Patriots were looked at as an option last season as well when Fitzgerald's name came up in trade rumors and while he is one of the best WRs in the league, he is getting older and is getting paid big money over the next few years. Weinfuss writes that the Cardinals have 11 players hitting free agency next year and some of those names are significant and with the NFL often putting teams in tough positions, this could be one for the Cards to keep the cap right.
Fitzgerald has been a professional player and a good citizen for his whole career and he also has been one of the best. But with three more years on his deal and his base salary going from one to eight million next season and the cap hit going to $23 million from $8 million, the Cardinals may not have a choice. A team like the Patriots may not want to take on all that money and the same goes for the Giants, but there is always a chance things change. The Giants have lost Victor Cruz and the Pats have no stars at WR and that could lead to the teams thinking about a deal.
Fitzgerald continued to get paid a ton over the next three seasons and he is currently on a seven year deal that will end into 2019. Fitzgerald is off to a slow start, but he just had his best game of the season and now has 19 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown. Fitzgerald has had to deal with some horrible quarterback play over the years and while he finally has Palmer, he also has been under 1000 yards and 85 catches in each of the past two seasons.
Fitzgerald will not make a stink about anything, because that is how he is as a pro and while the Cards obviously want to keep their star, money may keep it from happening. The Cardinals are leading the division and that likely means a deal will not go down, but keep an eye on this one in the offseason, as his name is sure to come up again.
