Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was not present for the first day of training camp on Tuesday, as he continues to negotiate a contract extension with the team.
Larry Fitzgerald missed on the first day of Cardinals’ camp. He has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury that kept him out of most of Arizona’s offseason program. Read more in detail here: larry fitzgerald height.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA (AP) — On his way to his hotel at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale on Tuesday to prepare for the opening day of training camp, Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds realized he had the same amenities as the previous two seasons.
This year, though, something was lacking.
Larry Fitzgerald’s room used to be next to Edmonds’, but not this camp. That room is currently occupied by someone else.
Fitzgerald was absent from the opening day of Cardinals training camp for the first time since 2004, when he was negotiating his rookie deal. The 37-year-old is a free agent who hasn’t officially stated his intentions for the foreseeable future: return to the Cardinals for an 18th season or retire.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury stated, “The ball is in his court.” “We’ve handed it over to him. That’s something he’s earned. As an organization, we felt the same way. So that’s where we’re at right now.”
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Those Cardinals who had previously played with Fitzgerald sensed his absence on Tuesday.
Christian Kirk, a fellow wide receiver, sat down at his locker inside State Farm Stadium on Tuesday morning to prepare for the customary fitness test that starts off camp, and Fitzgerald wasn’t next to him for the first time in his short career.
Kirk, Fitzgerald’s teammate from 2018 to 2020, stated, “It certainly seems strange without him.” “There will undoubtedly be a time of adjustment for me.”
“Having him here on the first day is a bit strange since he’s been around here and a member of this organization for so long.”
Kirk hasn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation.
Kirk said, “I’m not sure I really had time to you know truly absorb it.” “It’s simply a missing face, something that is so consistent,” says the initial response.
This summer, Kirk has missed Fitzgerald’s attitude and demeanor, from his wit to the way he switches from lighthearted to serious on the field.
“We miss you,” Edmonds planned to send a text message to the group chat he’s in with former teammate Trent Sherfield, Fitzgerald, and Kirk.
During the last five offseasons, Fitzgerald’s playing future has been a heated issue. Because Kirk didn’t sure which season would be Fitzgerald’s last, he became more fond of him.
“Because you never knew whether he’d retire or not moving into a new year with him,” Kirk said, “never to take any time with him for granted.” “And I always made sure to enjoy those times, whether it was the final game, last practice, last time sitting down to have supper, or whatever it was.”
The Cardinals, on the other hand, aren’t ready to say goodbye to Larry Fitzgerald just yet.
Regardless of Fitzgerald’s decision, Kingsbury said the company has a plan in place. In any case, the Cardinals’ receiving corps, which presently features DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, KeeSean Johnson, and Andy Isabella, will face a few big choices. Tuesday wasn’t the right moment to talk about it, and Kirk claims he isn’t compensated to make such decisions.
Kirk and Edmonds both said on Tuesday that they had not inquired about Fitzgerald’s intentions for 2021. Fitzgerald’s handling of his playing future has come as no surprise to Kirk. Fitzgerald, according to Edmonds, is a “mature guy” who has “been around the block a few times.”
That didn’t stop someone from asking Kirk whether Fitzgerald was coming back or not.
“That’s the million-dollar question,” says the narrator.
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