Larry Fitzgerald's Father Says WR Will Only Play for Cardinals If He Returns

The Arizona Cardinals are the only NFL franchise Larry Fitzgerald has ever known, and that apparently isn't going to change in 2018 if the wide receiver plays.

"There's no chance," Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., told Sporting News' Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio Wednesday when discussing whether his son would lace it up for another team.

"If it's not with the Cardinals, we've seen the last of Larry Fitzgerald in the National Football League wearing No. 11," he continued.

Marvez noted Fitzgerald will make $11 million if he does return in 2018, although the 10-time Pro Bowler has plenty of wear and tear on his body, considering he has never played fewer than 13 games in a season and appeared in all 16 games in 11 of his 14 years in the league since the Cardinals drafted him No. 3 overall in 2004.

The receiver's father addressed the possibility of retirement as well.

"Larry talked to me about what he should do," Fitzgerald Sr. said. "I told him, 'If you still love the game and are passionate about it and with the way you're playing, it shows me you still have it. You still want to win.'"

Production wasn't an issue in 2017, as he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the ninth time in his career. He tallied 109 catches for 1,156 yards and six touchdowns, but he would be facing an uphill battle in the race for his first Super Bowl ring in 2018 after quarterback Carson Palmer and head coach Bruce Arians retired this offseason.

Fitzgerald Sr. acknowledged the new challenges for a team that missed the playoffs the last two years: "He really wants to get a championship ring, there's no doubt about that. But now they've got a new situation there."

Outside of the pursuit of his first title, Marvez pointed out there could be another motivator for Fitzgerald to return. If he tallied 92 catches for 390 yards in 2018, he would surpass Tony Gonzalez and Terrell Owens for second on the all-time NFL receptions and receiving yards list.

If he does move up the list, he will do so in a Cardinals uniform.