A source with knowledge of the situation has told me that the Philadelphia Eagles are going after Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald pretty hard. Fitzgerald, 24, will be 25 years old when the 2008 season starts and has already been to two Pro Bowls (2005, 2007).
The Eagles have been widely criticized for not having enough playmaking receivers on offense. Fitzgerald told 610 WIP sports radio in Philadelphia during Super Bowl week that the Eagles are on a short list of teams he'd like to play for if dealt (he backed off of that a bit during the Pro Bowl week).
It's one thing for the Eagles to want Fitgerald, it's another thing entirely for them to actually acquire him via trade. The Cardinals have put themselves in a spot by agreeing to a contract that gives him a base salary of $14.592 million for 2008 and $17.355 million for 2009. Numbers that are absolutely ridiculous for any wide receiver. The Cardinals want to sign him to a long-term deal that would lower his cap number and keep him a Cardinal. This quote is from the Arizona Republic:
I feel like the talks have been progressing," [Cardinals GM Rod] Graves said of negotiations with Fitzgerald's agent, Eugene Parker. "I don't want to over-characterize our discussions. I do think Larry has indicated a strong desire to remain with our team, and Eugene has reiterated that a number of times."
There remains the distinct possibility that Fitgerald signs with the Cardinals, but with linebackers Karlos Dansby (franchise tag) and Calvin Pace (impending free agent) having contract issues of their own, the football team in Arizona has its hands full. AZCardinals.com reported on February 7th that the Cardinals had made Fitzgerald an offer, although Graves declined to get into specifics.
This is going to be a tough deal to get done. In order to get out of paying Fitgerald his ludicrous base salary, they have three options: Trade him, release him or re-negotiate with him. The Eagles represent one solution to this dilemma. It is not known exactly what it would take to pry Fitzgerald from the Cardinals' clutches, but with the Cardinals facing 4th and 15 and a full-court press (thanks "Naked Gun"), they may be in line to get a decent deal on him. Of course, this will be if the Eagles have negotiated a long-term deal with him prior to the deal. I don't care what team you name, they won't pay a wide receiver (even a good one) $14.592 million for a season.
Fitgerald has twice caught 100 balls or more in a season (103 in 2005, 100 in 2007) and rang up 1,409 receiving yards in both of those years.
