Larry Fitzgerald never officially retired. Longtime Cardinals WR explains why, days before Hall of Fame enshrinement

A conversation Larry Fitzgerald overheard between his grandfather and John Stroger, a longtime president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago, influenced his decision to never officially retire from the NFL.

“I remember them talking about retirement killing more people in our country than anything,” Fitzgerald said Thursday in Canton, Ohio, via 12 News’ Cameron Cox, two days before his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“That always stuck with me. And so I just don't believe in retirement. I just think you transition into different phases, especially as an athlete. I got done playing at 38. Retire? What do you mean retire? There's no retirement in sight.”

Fitzgerald, who will turn 43 later this month, added: “I protest the word more than the actual thing.”

He said he won’t acknowledge it, even noting he hasn’t “committed to retirement.”

Fitzgerald didn’t want a farewell tour in the league. While murmurs about his run with the Arizona Cardinals coming to an end popped up year after year in his final act, he kept the noise relatively quiet.

He also never jumped ship to chase a ring, not even after the Cardinals suffered through a brutal 3-13 campaign in 2018. He stuck around as Arizona hit the reset button and brought in Kliff Kingsbury to coach the team and Kyler Murray to quarterback the offense.

Fitzgerald helped Murray win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season and make the first of his two Pro Bowls the season after that.

Fitzgerald clocked out with 17,492 receiving yards across 17 seasons. He crossed the 1,000-yard threshold nine times and finished with 121 touchdown grabs.

He ranks second all time in career receiving yards, only behind Jerry Rice. Fitzgerald’s sixth in receiving scores. He’s arguably best known for his consistency and professionalism that stood the test of time, despite him operating in a franchise that’s had a revolving door at QB and frequently encountered lengthy playoff droughts.

With Fitzgerald, though, the Cardinals soared to new heights, reaching and nearly winning their first Super Bowl during the 2008 season and then returning to the NFC championship in 2015.

“I would be lying to you if [I said] it didn't cross my mind, I didn't think about it, maybe even had conversations about it,” Fitzgerald said Thursday about playing elsewhere, via Arizona Sports’ Tyler Drake. “But [I] never seriously tried to put it in motion. I loved where I was at. And, quite frankly, I don't know if it would've meant the same for me if I'd have went to somewhere who was already some super team and I was just a part of that super team that already existed before I got there. There would be a cheapness that I would feel about it, personally.

“It's no knock on anybody else that does it that way, but I was a part of that foundation. And I remember getting drafted and … wanting to do something that hadn't been done in Arizona. And that meant something to me to be a part of the fabric and the foundation of an organization and turn it around.”