Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald Reach Agreement
Early Wednesday morning, the Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reached an agreement to keep the eight-time Pro-Bowl wideout on the roster next year and also freed lots of cap room in the process.
According to ProFootballTalk the new contract will guarantee Fitzgerald $11 million per season for the next two years while freeing over $13 million in cap space for the team next season.
The former All-Pro wide receiver had his worst season since his rookie campaign last year. Fitzgerald struggled with multiple quarterback mishaps throughout the 2014 season as he was only able to rack up 63 catches, 784 yards, and two touchdowns. It was his second fewest amount catches and yards in a season (only ahead of his rookie season) and the least amount of touchdowns in a single season.
Fitzgerald was drafted by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. In his 11-year career with the Cardinals Fitzgerald has totaled 909 receptions, 12,151 yards, and 89 touchdowns and is the franchise leader in each of those categories. He is well on his way to being enshrined in the National Football Hall of Fame following the conclusion of his career.
Initially Fitzgerald was going to be making $16 million next year and after adding potential bonuses he had a cap hit of $23.6 million. Arizona has just under a month (March 10 deadline) to be compliant with the $140 million salary cap. Following the new Fitzgerald deal their salary cap will be around $143 million.
Jan 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) on the field in the 2014 NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona will continue to work on lowering their team salary with more reconstructed contracts in the coming months. Be sure to bookmark this page to stay in touch with all-things Arizona Cardinals as we close in on the NFL Draft in April.