Among the former NFL players who haven't played in this year, the most talked about, in addition to the Manning brothers who served as a reviewer on Monday night, should be Larry Fitzgerald, the number one person in Arizona Cardinals' team history.
It may be inaccurate to say he's a "former player," and while he hasn't played in the entire 2021 season and the Cardinals didn't get a hit at the start of their seven-game winning streak, he recently said in an interview that he won't officially retire, and it's more appropriate to describe his current situation as "retired, but not completely retired."
In the interview, Fitzgerald said that the first few times he watched the game on TV, he would have the urge to "let me come", and he described it with a flying eyebrow: "You see (DeAndre-) Hopkins take a wonderful catch, (Zach-) Ertz has a surprising unfolding, DJ (Humphrey) crushes an opponent, Chandler (Jones) catches the tackle, Buda (-Baker) finishes the interception, you will be super happy, I hope you can be there and join them." ”
Fitzgerald also revealed that he talks regularly on the phone with Christian Cork and goes out for a drink with attacking striker Kelvin Beauchamp. But as the season passed, he gradually adapted to this life, especially taking care of his two sons took more of his focus. In his career, he also gradually entered the "famous" state, participating in radio programs, holding shares in the Phoenix Sun, going to Harvard Business School to study sports entertainment media courses, and running his own company.
Playing for the Cardinals for 17 seasons of his career, Fitzgerald was the second-highest receiver in history in terms of number of yards received (17,492) and the number of catches (1,432), sixth in touchdowns (121), nine thousand-yard seasons and five 100-over seasons, twice leading the NFL in numbers of touchdowns and catches, 11 in the Pro Bowl, one in 2008 and a Walter Payton Award in 2016. With 24 NFL records and 40 team records in his hands, Fitzgerald, who was named to the NFL's centennial roster, is destined to appear in the Hall of Fame.
Fitzgerald's decision not to compete in the 2021 season is expected to be his first step before his official retirement. In the 2020 season, his performance fell into a low point, with 13 appearances and 54 catches and 409 yards to advance, only 1 touchdown, and the average of only 7.6 yards per catch was the lowest of his career.
Leaving the pitch was not a hasty decision, and Fitzgerald had planned it long ago: "It's not sudden. Unfortunately, a lot of athletes leave the arena passively, they're unprepared for it, they're not paving the way for the transition period, so you see a lot of people suffering. I've played for 17 years, I've received thousands of balls, and I've had the ability to make the transition smoothly. ”
As for the most critical question – when exactly does Fitzgerald plan to retire? He has so far refused to make any formal retirement statements, as he replied in an interview: "I am 38 years old, and I am far from retirement. ”
It is not excluded that the Cardinal Legend has played a little word game, and the new chapter of his life has just begun, and from this point of view, of course, it is not yet retired. But given his last season, his age, and his current state of life, we can probably surmise that Fitzgerald is on his way, if not retired, and he will tell us when he truly accepts the fact that his playing career is over.
Perhaps he has revealed the answer in this sentence: "My career is very exciting, I will not change anything." 」 I hope I can bring a championship to Arizona, but that's a thing of the past. ”