If anyone has a pulse on what Larry Fitzgerald‘s next move in the NFL will be, it’s Patrick Peterson.
Peterson and Fitzgerald have a strong bond, playing together for a decade with the Arizona Cardinals as the team’s perennial No. 1 cornerback and wide receiver matchup in-house.
Fitzgerald, 38, remains unsigned but has yet to announce his retirement. Peterson, hoping to re-invent his career, left Arizona and signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Fans have hoped for Fitzgerald, born and raised in Minneapolis, to return home and play in the purple and gold.
Peterson put that fantasy to rest.
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‘Zero Chance’
Peterson, answering fan mailbag questions on the All Things Covered podcast, had a blunt answer to a fan asking what the chances of Fitzgerald signing with the Vikings this season are.
“Zero,” Peterson said. “I don’t know what he’s going to do. He hasn’t retired yet… Only team I see him playing for is Arizona. I don’t see him playing for another team.”
Fitzgerald recently broke his silence surrounding his free-agency status currently, saying he has “no urge to play right now.”
“I don’t know how I’ll feel in September, October, November moving forward, but I just, today, I just don’t have the urge,” Fitzgerald said on Jim Gray’s “Let’s Go” radio show. “I think I have to be respectful of that. Football is not one of those games you want to walk out there and play and not be fully engaged and ready to prepare and do the things necessary that you need to do.”
Fitzgerald has few records left to chase and is only missing a Super Bowl ring to his resume. There’s speculation that the future Hall of Fame wide receiver may weigh his options and wait to see which teams are contending and need an extra wide receiver.
The considered favorites for Fitzgerald to land are the Cardinals, Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Peterson seemed certain Fitzgerald won’t be wearing any different colors in his career.
“It’s a long season,” Peterson said. “There could come a point where (Arizona) may ring him up.”
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Fitzgerald Could Be Waiting for a Legitimate Contender
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Fitzgerald’s future, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio hasn’t dismissed the possibility of him making his homecoming to the Vikings.
“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,” Florio wrote. “Until he officially retires or signs with another team, it’s a possibility that can’t be completely dismissed.”
Fitzgerald’s father, a sportswriter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, recently replied to a fan’s tweet of his son’s return with a reference to the 1980 USA men’s Olympic hockey team’s “Miracle on Ice. The reference could be taken either way, however, the clock emoji could also signal Fitzgerald is playing the wait-and-see game.
@JThalblum You believe in miracles?🏈👍🕰
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Patrick Peterson Has Strong Message on Larry Fitzgerald Joining Vikings