Larry Fitzgerald will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, and he’ll turn 43 years old this month. It seems safe to say he’s done playing professional football.
But don’t call Fitzgerald “retired.”
Fitzgerald told the Cardinals’ website that he never plans to use that word to describe where he is in life.
“I have not committed to retirement,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald recalls hearing his grandfather talk with friends about how when people retire, they give up. And giving up is not something Fitzgerald ever wants to do.
“They’d talk about retirement killing more people in our country than anything,” Fitzgerald said. “It always stuck with me. I just don’t believe in retirement. I just think you transition into different phases, especially as an athlete. I was done at 38. Retire? There is no retirement in sight. I protest the word more than the actual thing. So I just won’t acknowledge that.”
When Fitzgerald confirmed after his 17th season with the Cardinals that he wouldn’t be back for an 18th, he studiously avoided the word “retirement.” It’s still not a word he’ll use. Fitzgerald knows he has a lot more to do with his life.
Cardinals Clips
Rookie Carson Beck looked the part in his Hall of Fame game debut.
He completed 15-of-19 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown. He played into the third quarter after experiencing his first, shorter pro halftime.
“That was fun, being able to play football again,” Beck said, via Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ website.
Head coach Mike LaFleur noted Beck’s performance was what he’s been seeing from the young quarterback in practice. But it was still meaningful for Beck to make some plays against a live opponent.
“It feels great to go in and succeed and execute within the offense,” Beck said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “And, obviously, again, there’s going to be things to fix.
“You got to go watch the tape and there’s always so much room to improve, even just being a rookie, being a new guy and kind of getting my first taste of the league.”
Arizona will be on the road to play Las Vegas next Thursday night for Beck’s second bit of preseason action.
Carson Beck gave the Cardinals what they wanted to see in the Hall of Fame Game.
The rookie quarterback got the start in 2026’s first preseason game and led three scoring drives in the first half. The first of them was a 13-play, 96-yard trip down the field for a Corey Kiner rushing touchdown and it was followed by a four-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Simi Fehoko.
Beck’s night also included a pair of long hookups with wide receiver Jalen Brooks and he ended his night 15-of-19 for 188 yards. After the game, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said the performance was right in line with how the third-round pick has played since joining the team.
“It’s a broken record, but it’s the same thing I keep seeing in practice,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “He doesn’t make it too big. He just makes it about the play.”
Jacoby Brissett is the No. 1 quarterback for the Cardinals at the moment and Beck probably won’t do enough this summer to change those plans. His first outing did nothing to hurt his bid to be the quarterback of the future, however, and more strong work in the preseason will only solidify that status.
Haynes King wasn’t drafted despite being the ACC Player of the Year last season. The Panthers signed the former Georgia Tech star quarterback as a free agent, and he showed Thursday night maybe someone should have drafted him.
Third on the team’s depth chart, King replaced veteran Kenny Pickett with 9:38 remaining in the first half and the Panthers trailing 14-7.
King completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, a 15-yarder and a 5-yarder.
He also ran for 39 yards on three carries, including scoring on a 5-yard jaunt on the final play of the game. It gave the Panthers a 33-30 victory.
In one of the most entertaining Hall of Fame Games ever, the Cardinals gained 425 yards and the Panthers 378. Rookie Carson Beck started for Arizona and went 15-of-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown before turning it over to fourth-string quarterback Kedon Slovis, who was 9-of-10 for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Carson Beck has played in much bigger games than the Hall of Fame Game, so it probably should come as no surprise that the lights weren’t too bright or the stage too big.
Beck started for the Cardinals in the first preseason game of the NFL season.
He showed up and showed out.
Beck played a little more than a half, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown. He hit Reggie Virgil for what would have been a big gain on his final throw of the night in the third quarter, but Isaiah Simmons knocked it out.
He directed scoring drives of 96, 50 and 61 yards, throwing a 5-yard fade to a well-covered Simi Fehoko for a touchdown on the team’s second scoring drive.
The Cardinals were tied with the Panthers 17-17 when Beck left with 10:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Fourth-stringer Kedon Slovis replaced Beck.
The Colts signed free agent tight end Pharaoh Brown on Thursday, the team announced.
In a corresponding move, the Colts placed tight end Sean McKeon on injured reserve. McKeon, who has an undisclosed injury, will finish the season on injured reserve unless he reaches an injury settlement with the Colts.
Brown returns to Indianapolis after spending time with the team in 2023.
He played for the Cardinals in 2025, appearing in seven games with two starts. Brown caught two passes for 1 yard, while seeing action on 59 offensive snaps and 77 on special teams.
Brown has also spent time with the Dolphins (2025), Seahawks (2024), Patriots (2023), Colts (2023), Browns (2018-20, 2022), Texans (2020-22) and Raiders (2017-18). He has appeared in 94 career games with 56 starts, totaling 74 receptions for 752 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cardinals didn’t draft running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick so he could sit on the bench, but they’re not going to declare him the starter just yet.
Currently, the Cardinals’ depth chart lists Tyler Allgeier as the first-string running back. Love is second string.
Realistically, there’s almost no chance that Love, barring injury, isn’t the Cardinals’ top running back for the regular season. But NFL teams often wait until a rookie has earned a starting job before listing him as the starter on the team’s published depth chart.
No. 3 on the running back depth chart in Arizona is James Conner, followed by Trey Benson, Bam Knight and Corey Kiner.
Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat remains on the active/physically unable to perform list as he deals with a knee issue.
But even as Arizona progresses further into training camp, head coach Mike LaFleur is not concerned about Sweat being on the field when games count.
“Whether you believe me or not, I’m not worried about him for Sept. 13, at all,” LaFleur said Wednesday, via Darren Urban of the team’s website.
Sept. 13, of course, is when the Cardinals will open the regular season against the Chargers.
LaFleur has used a similar line before when discussing Sweat’s health and potential unhappiness with his contract. Sweat was the subject of trade rumors over the offseason.
Last year — Sweat’s first with the Cardinals — Sweat recorded a career-high 12.0 sacks with 13 tackles for loss and 17 QB hits.
We’ll have to wait a little longer for our first chance to see Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love in action.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said at a Wednesday press conference that Love will not be playing against the Panthers in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night. The Cardinals will have three other preseason games to get Love some action ahead of their Week 1 game against the Chargers.
Love was the third overall pick in April and is expected to be the lead back in Arizona during his rookie season.
Tyler Allgeier, James Conner, Trey Benson, Bam Knight, Evan Hill, and Corey Kiner are the other backs on the Cardinals roster.
Carson Beck had “no clue” he was going to start the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game until this week. He was the last to know.
As (almost) everyone knows, veteran quarterbacks don’t generally play in the Hall of Fame Game.
The third-round rookie is new to this thing, though.
“I thought I was going to play, but I had no expectations,” Beck said Tuesday, via Darren Urban of the team website. “Obviously our schedule has been crazy right now. But I’m looking forward to it.”
Coach Mike LaFleur has not publicly addressed playing time for his quarterbacks, but with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew expected to spend the night on the sideline, Beck likely sees most of the playing time. Fourth-stringer Kedon Slovis also could play.
Beck said he hasn’t been nervous for a game since he was 8 years old and playing for his Pop Warner city championship, and that won’t change Thursday night.
“It’s a game at the end of the day,” Beck said. “Not really any nerves. More excitement than anything.”
Beck, 24, spent six seasons in college and played in the national championship game last season for the University of Miami. So, he should be unfazed playing a preseason game against the Panthers on Thursday.
“That’s one of the best things about him, all of his experience,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “His age, his understanding that things are going to go good, [and] they are going to go bad. You can never get too excited; you can never get too frustrated.”
