Larry Fitzgerald Confirms What We Already Knew About Him
Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald(11) against the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
When we think about Larry Fitzgerald, do any bad character traits come to mind? Absolutely not. We think of a team player, a nice guy and somebody who we’d think would do whatever he could to help his franchise win. Fitzgerald did exactly that, as he restructured his contract in order to give the Cardinals more cap room for the 2014 season.
Back in AZ from #SB48 & the 1st order of business this AM was signing a restructured contract to help the @AZCardinals get better for 2014!
— Larry Fitzgerald (@LarryFitzgerald) February 4, 2014
Although the numbers have yet to made official, reports have surfaced that the Cardinals will pay Fitzgerald an $11.75 million roster bonus instead of as salary. This means as far as the cap is concerned, Fitzgerald will make about $1 million next season. This freed up about $9.4 million in cap space that the Cardinals can use to close up some of their roster roles.
We know the Cardinals are going to be in the market for some offensive line help and now that they can afford to go after some real talent, expect that to happen.
Fitzgerald certainly didn’t have to do this, but it really was a no-brainer for both sides. The Cardinals were much better than expected last season and have to think they were a play or two from getting into the playoffs. With an upgrade here or there, they can get right back into that spot in 2014. Thanks to the extra room, they can make those upgrades.