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Larry Fitzgerald Passes Terrell Owens for No. 2 All-Time in Receiving Yards
November 11, 2018
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald passed 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Terrell Owens on Sunday to become the second all-time leading receiver in NFL history during the Cards' Week 10 game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Cardinals announced his achievement on Twitter:
Fitzgerald exceeded Owens' total of 15,934 receiving yards on a fourth-quarter reception. He now only trails San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice (22,895 yards).
The 35-year-old Minnesota native has been one of the league's most consistent, productive players since Arizona selected him out of the University of Pittsburgh with the third overall pick in the 2004 draft.
Fitzgerald has earned 11 Pro Bowl selections, led the NFL in receptions twice and was named first-team All-Pro in 2008. He's done all that while providing leadership both in the Cardinals locker room and in the community.
The latter led to him winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2016.
It's unlikely Fitzgerald will come close to catching Rice for the top spot. Although his production has remained strong in recent years, including three straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards entering 2018, he's already discussed his potential retirement and has not been immune from the teamwide struggles this year.
In June, he told Darren Urban of the team's official website he tries to focus solely on making it through the season at hand.
"I'm just trying to get to February in one piece," Fitzgerald said. "I don't buy green bananas."
Fitzgerald has never possessed much of an attitude, so he's probably underrated from a historical perspective, but his numbers speak for themselves. He's a surefire Hall of Famer, almost certainly on the first ballot, despite so far not capturing a Super Bowl title.
Passing Owens is merely another accolade on an already-stacked resume.