New Arizona coach Steve Wilks says wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald 鈥?arguably the most popular and certainly the most prolific player to don a Cardinals uniform 鈥?has told him he'll return for a 15th NFL season.
Wilks made the comment Thursday in an interview on the "Doug & Wolf" sports talk radio show. Wilks says Fitzgerald told him of his decision in a conversation Wednesday night.
So for at least one more season Henry Anderson Jersey , Fitzgerald will be scooping in the throws 鈥?from somebody 鈥?and laying down some blocks for David Johnson.
There was a quick response from teammate and golfing partner, cornerback Patrick Peterson.
"Wouldn't be the same without him," Peterson said on twitter, with a photo of Fitzgerald hugging him.
Added safety Tyrann Mathieu, also on twitter, "11 for 15. Welcome back Legend."
Fitzgerald hadn't said publicly whether he would remain for another season and there was speculation he might follow the lead of coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, who both retired after last season.
The 34-year-old Fitzgerald is one of the most prolific receivers in the game's history, ranking third on the NFL career lists for receptions and yards receiving. He finished second in the NFL with 109 catches last season.
He returns even though there is no quarterback on the Arizona roster. General manager Steve Keim has said the team will move aggressively to fill that void Randy Gregory Jersey , through free agency, trade or the draft 鈥?or any combination thereof.
Fitzgerald has caught passes from 17 quarterbacks since being drafted No. 3 overall by Arizona in 2004.
Although Jerry Rice's NFL career records are out of reach, Fitzgerald has a good shot at moving up to No. 2. He needs 92 catches to top for second in career receptions and 390 yards receiving to pass Terrell Owens for No. 2 in that category.
Fitzgerald has one year and $11 million remaining on his contract and most indications were he was leaning toward giving it at least one more season.
New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said Fitzgerald was the first player he reached out to and that the receiver said he was excited about the prospects of the coming season.
Fitzgerald has missed only six games in his career and has caught a pass in 211 consecutive contests, tied with Tony Gonzalez for second all-time. He has topped 100 catches and 1,000 yards receiving each of the alst three years and, last season, was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 11th time. Among wide receivers, only Rice has been selected more often.
He shared Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honors with Eli Manning a year ago.
Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showed another sign he is prepared to put aside his contract talks for now.
Beckham reported with fellow veterans for the opening day of Giants training camp. Beckham didn’t talk to the media Wednesday as veterans arrived at the Giants’ headquarters adjacent to MetLife Stadium.
The 25-year-old Beckham will earn $8.5 million entering the fifth and final season of his rookie contract. If the Giants do not designate him as a franchise player [url=]Tyler Boyd Jersey[/url] , he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. He wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid player.
First-year coach Pat Shurmur plans to be cautious how his three-time Pro Bowl receiver will be used, especially in training camp. Beckham broke his left ankle in Week 5 and never returned as the Giants finished 3-13.
”As we go forward, he’s coming back from injury,” Shurmur said. ”We’re going to continue to be smart about what we give him from the start.”
Shurmur punted when asked if Beckham’s contract status would be a distraction to the team.
”We don’t talk about contracts,” he said. ”The focus for me is to keep the players thinking about football.”
Shurmur takes over a team ranked 31st in total defense and 21st in offense last season. The offense should benefit from running back Saquon Barkley, the second overall pick in the draft.
”He’s very smart, he gets it,” said Shurmur of the Penn State standout. ”In a lot of ways that’s a great place to start. He’s super-talented. The thing that stuck out to me is he embraces work. The mind is always looking for an easy way out and he doesn’t.”
The Giants significantly upgraded their offensive line by signing left tackle Nate Solder from New England. That moves Ereck Flowers Justin Reid Jersey , the Giants’ top pick in 2015, to right tackle. Flowers struggled to protect Eli Manning in the passing game.
Second-round pick Will Hernandez out of UTEP should vie for a spot at guard.
The defense, which will have a 3-4 look this season under new coordinator James Bettcher, will be bolstered by the additions of free-agent linebackers Alec Ogletree, Kareem Martin and Connor Barwin, who was signed Wednesday.
Manning returns for his 15th year and is buoyed by the prospects of throwing to a healthy Beckham; second-year tight-end Evan Engram; the speedy Sterling Shepard, who caught 59 passes as a slot target; and Barkley.
”I’m excited about the guys who are on this offense.” Manning said. ”The receivers, the offensive line Dak Prescott Jersey , the playmakers we have. It looks good on paper, but we have to make sure we do what we need to do on the field.
”There’s always expectations and no one has higher expectations than I do. You have to make the most of it each and every season.”
Never in the 92-year history of the franchise had the Giants lost 13 games in a season. For the first time in 39 seasons, they will be led by a new head coach and general manager (Dave Gettleman) after Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese were fired.
Gettleman, however, is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.
NOTES: Olivier Vernon, who will move from DE to a pass-rushing outside LB, said he will leave the national anthem policy to the commissioner and the NFL Players Association. Vernon was the only Giants player to take a knee every game last season. . Former special teams coordinator Tom Quinn is back. He is helping the club while current coordinator Thomas McGaughey deals with ”health issues.” …There is some concern whether supplemental draft pick Sam Beal will play this season. The cornerback hurt a shoulder in rookie practices this week and might need surgery.
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31.08.2018 08:35
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