Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald signed a $40 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday. The deal includes $30 million guaranteed, a generous figure for a franchise that was long considered one of the stingiest in sports. The contract also includes a no-trade clause, which means Fitzgerald would have to approve any move to another team. The Cardinals wanted to restructure Fitzgerald's incentive-laden rookie contract because he had reached many of the benchmarks and was to receive $14.6 million in 2008 and just under $17.4 million in 2009. Those figures left the Cardinals with hardly any room under the salary cap to sign free agents. In addition, the contract locks up Fitzgerald through 2011, when he still will be only 28 years old. "Contract negotiations sometimes can go back-and-forth a lot, but I knew in my heart that the Cardinals wanted me to stay a Cardinal and I know that they knew I wanted to be a Cardinal," he said. (Updated 03/11/2008).
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/16/08).
Fantasy Analysis
Fitzgerald posted numbers identical to his 2005 breakout season in 2007. In 15 games, he caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards (14.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns with four 100-yard games and at least five catches in 12 contests. In '05, he had exactly 1,409 yards and 10 scores on 103 receptions in 16 games. Fitzgerald started slow this season and didn't seem to really be on the same page with QB Matt Leinart (the two didn't connect on any touchdowns). But once Kurt Warner saw playing time in place of Leinart, Fitzgerald began to take off, even when he finished the year with a sore groin. Fitzgerald is clearly a talented, big-play guy with all of the intangibles you want in a Fantasy WR. Ultimately, Fitzgerald is a No. 1 Fantasy WR you can rely on in 2008, well worth a third-round pick in all leagues. (Updated 03/11/2008).
WR Larry Fitzgerald didn't hesitate to use his 44-pound weight advantage against rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in minicamp. He pushed off and shoved the rookie a couple of times. But that wasn't done just for the rookie's benefit. "Larry's working on getting better on some of things where he needs to be," said coach Ken Whisenhunt. "One of things we've talked about before is being a little bit more physical, whether it's run after catch or some of those situations in games. So it's nice to see Larry working on some things." 05/08/2008
No information available at this time.
Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald signed a $40 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday. The deal includes $30 million guaranteed, a generous figure for a franchise that was long considered one of the stingiest in sports. The contract also includes a no-trade clause, which means Fitzgerald would have to approve any move to another team. The Cardinals wanted to restructure Fitzgerald's incentive-laden rookie contract because he had reached many of the benchmarks and was to receive $14.6 million in 2008 and just under $17.4 million in 2009. Those figures left the Cardinals with hardly any room under the salary cap to sign free agents. In addition, the contract locks up Fitzgerald through 2011, when he still will be only 28 years old. "Contract negotiations sometimes can go back-and-forth a lot, but I knew in my heart that the Cardinals wanted me to stay a Cardinal and I know that they knew I wanted to be a Cardinal," he said. (Updated 03/11/2008).
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/16/08).
Fantasy Analysis
Fitzgerald posted numbers identical to his 2005 breakout season in 2007. In 15 games, he caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards (14.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns with four 100-yard games and at least five catches in 12 contests. In '05, he had exactly 1,409 yards and 10 scores on 103 receptions in 16 games. Fitzgerald started slow this season and didn't seem to really be on the same page with QB Matt Leinart (the two didn't connect on any touchdowns). But once Kurt Warner saw playing time in place of Leinart, Fitzgerald began to take off, even when he finished the year with a sore groin. Fitzgerald is clearly a talented, big-play guy with all of the intangibles you want in a Fantasy WR. Ultimately, Fitzgerald is a No. 1 Fantasy WR you can rely on in 2008, well worth a third-round pick in all leagues. (Updated 03/11/2008).
