3 NFL Teams That Should Sign Larry Fitzgerald For 2021

For his entire 17-year NFL career, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has played for the Arizona Cardinals.

He has caught 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns.

Fitzgerald is also an 11-time Pro Bowler, one time All-Pro recipient, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2010s All-Decade Team.

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Fitzgerald seems likely to get elected to Canton in his first year on the ballot.

But despite all of those accolades, Fitzgerald remains a free agent as the NFL season approaches.

The Cardinals have yet to re-sign him and used a second-round pick on receiver Rondale Moore in the 2021 NFL Draft.

They also have DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Andy Isabella.

It’s hard to see how Fitzgerald, despite being a Cardinals legend, fits in the picture right now.

Fitzgerald did say that he currently “doesn’t have the urge” to play football.

WR Larry Fitzgerald told @JimGrayOfficial that he doesn't “have the urge to play right now”.https://t.co/mHvliTK3Be

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2021

However, throughout his illustrious career, one thing has evaded Fitzgerald; the Super Bowl.

If a team capable of winning the championship offers Fitzgerald a contract, it’s fair to wonder if he would come out of retirement to chase a ring one last time.

If Fitzgerald goes that route, these three teams make the most sense.

3. Minnesota Vikings

On the outside, Minnesota is set with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.

Some might consider that the best wide receiver duo in the league.

However, it would be in the slot where Fitzgerald could shine for the Vikings.

In Minnesota’s first unofficial depth chart of training camp, K.J. Osborn was listed as the team’s third receiver.

Osborn was selected by the Vikings in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, he appeared in nine games and caught just seven passes for 27 yards.

Behind him is veteran Dede Westbrook, who Minnesota signed to a one-year veteran minimum deal.

Westbrook played in just two games for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.

In 2019, he appeared in 15 games and caught 66 passes for 660 yards and three touchdowns.

Below those two are a litany of other receivers such as Chad Beebe, Dan Chisena, and Blake Proehl; among others.

Fitzgerald would provide a steady option for the Vikings in the slot.

While their current options may have potential, Fitzgerald is a proven commodity.

Putting him in between Jefferson and Thielen would elevate Minnesota’s entire passing game and could help them prove to be the best receiving corps in the NFL.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens knew they needed a wide receiver.

Baltimore finished dead last in the league last season with just 182.4 receiving yards per game.

To remedy the problem, they first signed former Kansas City Chief Sammy Watkins in free agency.

Then they used the No. 27 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on former Minnesota Gopher Rashod Bateman.

Bateman was expected to play a big role in the offense before he suffered a groin injury that could sideline him into the season.

Ravens’ HC John Harbaugh said first-round pick Rashod Bateman will miss “a number of weeks” with the groin injury that he suffered at Tuesday’s practice.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2021

Now, the Ravens are poised to enter the season with Watkins and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown starting on the outside and a mixture of Devin Duvernay, Miles Boykin, and James Proche III on the inside.

Watkins and Brown have both showed potential throughout their careers.

Bateman should be a starter whenever he comes back healthy.

But like the Vikings, adding Fitzgerald would give Baltimore some veteran stability.

The whole point of Baltimore re-tooling their wide receiver room was to help Lamar Jackson improve as a passer and help the overall passing offense improve.

Adding Fitzgerald would not only help Jackson, but help lift the entire receiving corps.

As Bateman is on the mend, what better receiver to learn from than Fitzgerald?

As Jackson looks to grow as a passer in the NFL, what better receiver to throw to than a future Hall of Famer?

1. Green Bay Packers

While Aaron Rodgers is back for one more season with the Green Bay Packers, it appears that 2021 will be his last.

After restructuring his deal, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that the team and Rodgers had a deal that they would trade Rodgers following the season if he still wants out.

For Rodgers and the Packers, some would say this is the “Last Dance.”

Which is exactly what Fitzgerald would be looking for if he came back.

He has nothing else to prove statistically.

He is already a bonafide Hall of Famer.

But if he wants to chance a ring one last time, catching passes from Rodgers might be his best way to do so.

Currently, the Packers list Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as their starters.

Adams is one of the best receivers in the NFL while Valdes-Scantling is a receiver on the rise.

Green Bay also has Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Devin Funchess, and 2021 third-round pick Amari Rodgers.

It might be hard to find a spot for Fitzgerald.

However, the wide receiver position has been a point of contention between Rodgers and the Packers.

He was reportedly unhappy when Green Bay used their 2020 first-round pick on quarterback Jordan Love rather than a wide receiver.

For all the potential the Packers young receivers might have, Fitzgerald could be the veteran safety blanket that Rodgers desires.

If this really is Rodgers’ last season in Green Bay, both player and team will be hoping for one last Super Bowl run.

Fitzgerald could be a part of that run and could try to spark some postseason success one last time as like Rodgers, he enters his “Last Dance.”