Bruce Arians 'praying' Larry Fitzgerald returns to Cardinals

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Larry Fitzgerald is by far the leading receiver in Cardinals’ history, but his $23.6 million cap hit in 2015 may be a bit rich for his recent production.

Fitzgerald didn’t speculate much on his future after the Panthers knocked Arizona out of the playoffs in the wild-card round, but Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians voiced his desire to retain Fitzgerald on Radio Row Friday in Arizona

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“We definitely, desperately want him to stay. He knows that. It’s really his decision,” Arians said. “I’m hoping and praying every day that it does happen … I’ve expressed to him personally how much it means to us.” 

Fitzgerald’s dip in production (63 catches, 784 yards and two touchdowns in 2014) could be attributed to the quality of the players throwing him the football (Ryan Lindley, Drew Stanton, etc.), but even when he’s not putting up elite receiver numbers, Arians still refers to him as the “ultimate team player.”

“God yeah. Larry has become one of the best blockers, like Hines Ward, in the league,” Arians said. “You really have to be a football player to have that role. But he knows how much it helps the team. He’s learned to play in the slot well, he can still play outside. He can do pretty much everything in the offense.”

So the question is, will the Cardinals cut ties with the face of the franchise if a new deal isn’t struck, or dedicate a large portion of its salary cap to a 31-year-old blocking receiver?

Cardinals’ team president Michael Tidwell said earlier this week that contract talks with Fitzgerald won’t heat up until after the Super Bowl.

“Larry and I have met about it, just he and I talking about it, and I know he’s interested in getting something resolved,” Bidwill said. “After the playoff game, he got away, left the country. He’s back now, it’s a busy week this week and we’ll start working on this next week. I think we’ll get this all worked out.

“He’s such a great person and a great player. He’s got many years left and I want to see him retire as an Arizona Cardinal. I want to see us move past getting this contract resolved and move forward.”

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