Larry Fitzgerald never formally announced his retirement from football.
But at this point, it’s clear that the longtime Cardinals receiver isn’t coming back.
“I had a great run. It was fun. I wouldn’t change anything,” Fitzgerald said recently, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “I wish I could have delivered more for the Valley in terms of winning a championship, but that’s water under the bridge at this point.”
At his age, Fitzgerald doesn’t seem to want to use the word “retirement” just because he’s stopped playing football.
“I’m 38 years old,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m a long way from retirement. Yeah, a long way.”
In life, sure. But football is a different story. Fitzgerald playing career ended with him second to only Jerry Rice on the league’s all-time list in receptions (1,432) and yards (17,492). He was an 11-time Pro Bowler, spending his entire 17-season career with the Cardinals.
Fitzgerald said it’s not like his decision to walk away from the game happened abruptly.
“Unfortunately, most athletes, they’re told, ‘Your career is over.’ You don’t have much time to prepare,” Fitzgerald said. “You don’t have anything set up outside of the game to really help bridge that gap, and that’s when you see guys struggle.
“You got to think, I played 17 years, I made a million connections, I was able to do everything that I ever wanted to do in terms of preparing to be able to make a smooth transition.”
Fitzgerald has apparently done so. And his next stop in football will be Canton, Ohio to be enshrined among the game’s all-time greats.