The New England Patriots may look at Larry Fitzgerald if the Arizona Cardinals opt to release or trade the wide receiver after the playoffs and this comes as NE is likely to release Danny Amendola before the 2015 campaign, as he has been injury-prone and not as productive as expected during his run with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
The Larry Fitzgerald to Patriots rumors have been going around for a couple years now, but it looks like this year is the season it could happen. According to ESPN.com, Fox Sports Arizona and Pro Football Talk, sources have said that Fitzgerald expects to be with another team next season, as he may not want to restructure his deal or take a pay cut for the upcoming season. Fitzgerald previously re-did his deal to give the Cardinals some cap space and he likely doesn't want to do that again.
While the salary cap is expected to rise this year, the Cardinals know that having one player cost $23 million in salary cap space is too much to deal with. Jon Weinfuss at ESPN.com wrote about Fitzgerald earlier in the season and said his cap number for the Cardinals next season was "unworkable" as the team will have double digit free agents hitting the market and they need to keep the majority of them.
Fitzgerald reportedly is not happy about how he was used the past couple seasons in the offense, as he has been more of a slot player and complimentary option compared to past years. The emergence of Michael Floyd and John Brown has pushed Fitzgerald aside a bit and with him at 31 years old, the Cardinals realize they cannot justify a player at WR with that production at that price tag. A split is not a forgone conclusion, but right now it appears that Fitzgerald could be on his way out.
While more recent reports say talks between the two sides has been "positive", things could break down as the offseason continues following the Cardinals loss to the Panthers in the playoffs. Fitzgerald has spent his entire career in Arizona and while he likely does not want to leave, he also may not want to take a major pay cut after restructuring his deal for the Cardinals last year.
The Patriots could be an option for Fitzgerald, as ESPN Boston writer Mike Reiss wrote that the team will look into signing him if he is released. The team likely will be released Danny Amendola this year according to Reiss and adding a player like Fitzgerald could be perfect if he is gone. Fitzgerald would fit in well with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the team has some success with aging receivers, they got an amazing year out of Randy Moss back in 2007.
The Cardinals finished the season 11-5 and lost to the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs. Fitzgerald has been a staple with the franchise since he was drafted, but over the past few years he has not been as productive as the early part of his career. The team had issues at quarterback, dealing with injuries to Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer which surely affected his numbers. The team ranked 14th in passing yards per game and they ended up using Ryan Lindley down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs.
