Cardinals want to keep Larry Fitzgerald

Not only do the Cardinals intend to keep Larry Fitzgerald next season, they want to keep him much longer than that.

Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim said he hopes it’s a much longer-range relationship.

“We have to make good business decisions,” Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7, via Darren Urban of the team’s official website. “I don’t think it’s any secret that we said all along that it is our intent to have Larry Fitzgerald retire a Cardinal. I don’t want to get into it too deep, but with planning purposes and financially, from a cap standpoint and all those sort of things, we have Larry’s [cap] number already baked into our numbers.

“Now, any kind of business decisions moving forward, renegotiations with Larry and that sort of thing, we’ve had ongoing talks with [agent] Eugene Parker and we will continue to have ongoing talks. But again, the best I can tell you is that it is our intent to keep Larry and make sure he stays a Cardinal the rest of his career.”

Reports say the Cards are prepared to carry the veteran wide receiver next year even with his $23.6 million cap hit. Fitzgerald has the Cards in a unique position, the story went on to say. If they’re intent on not releasing him, he can sit tight on the big number by refusing to take a pay cut or restructure. Of course, if there’s something in it for him to do a longer deal, then Keim may get his wish. Assuming QB Carson Palmer can emerge healthy next season, Fitzgerald will be part of a nice group of WRs which include Michael Floyd and John Brown, but Fitz is no longer an elite, top fantasy WR.