Dream over: Larry Fitzgerald won’t be coming to Seattle
By Keith Myers
It was always incredibly unlikely to happen, but the chance of the Seattle Seahawks getting wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was just too much fun to ignore. Now it’s official. It won’t be happening.
Ideally, it would be a perfect match for Seahawks fans. He is the best player in on a division rival at Seattle’s biggest position of need. Acquiring Fitzgerald would simultaneously weaken the Cardinals while making the Seahawks better.
Ultimately though, Arizona decided not to let that happen. They announced on Wednesday that they’ve given Fitzgerald a contract extension. The new deal extends his contract by a year while greatly reducing his salary cap number for the 2015 season.
New Fitzgerald deal is $22M/two years (w/2 years added for Cap proration) fully guaranteed. Goes from $31M non-gteed to $22M gteed.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) February 18, 2015
The truth is that this is probably for the better. Fitzgerald has been one of the top receivers in the NFL since being drafted, but last season he began to show signs that the end is near. He’s lost a step in the speed department, and he was never the fastest guy.
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While he is still a good player, Fitzgerald is no longer the type of receiver that can completely take over a game. Ultimately, what the Cardinals paid to keep him is almost certainly more than his production warrants.
It can be difficult to separate the player he used to be form the player Fitzgerald is today. At this stage in his career, he is a possession receiver. That isn’t what the Seahawks need. What they need is the dynamic deep playmaker he used to be.
Demetrius Thomas is a free agent and may not get hit with the franchise tag. The Bears have reportedly been considering cutting Brandon Marshall in a cost saving move. Both of them are significantly better fits for Seattle’s needs than Fitzgerald at this point.
It was fun to dream of Fitzgerald in a Seahawks uniform, but it likely will never happen now.