No. 11 is coming back for the Arizona Cardinals.
New Arizona coach Steve Wilks says wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald – arguably the most popular and certainly the most prolific player to don a Cardinals uniform – has told him he’ll return for a 15th NFL season.
Wilks made the comment Thursday in an interview on the ”Doug & Wolf” sports talk radio show. Wilks says Fitzgerald told him of his decision in a conversation Wednesday night.
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So for at least one more season Dolphins Game Jerseys , Fitzgerald will be scooping in the throws – from somebody – and laying down some blocks for David Johnson.
There was a quick response from teammate and golfing partner, cornerback Patrick Peterson.
”Wouldn’t be the same without him,” Peterson said on twitter, with a photo of Fitzgerald hugging him.
Added safety Tyrann Mathieu, also on twitter, ”11 for 15. Welcome back Legend.”
Fitzgerald hadn’t said publicly whether he would remain for another season and there was speculation he might follow the lead of coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, who both retired after last season.
The 34-year-old Fitzgerald is one of the most prolific receivers in the game’s history, ranking third on the NFL career lists for receptions and yards receiving. He finished second in the NFL with 109 catches last season.
He returns even though there is no quarterback on the Arizona roster. General manager Steve Keim has said the team will move aggressively to fill that void, through free agency, trade or the draft – or any combination thereof.
Fitzgerald has caught passes from 17 quarterbacks since being drafted No. 3 overall by Arizona in 2004.
Although Jerry Rice’s NFL career records are out of reach Vikings Game Jerseys , Fitzgerald has a good shot at moving up to No. 2. He needs 92 catches to top for second in career receptions and 390 yards receiving to pass Terrell Owens for No. 2 in that category.
Fitzgerald has one year and $11 million remaining on his contract and most indications were he was leaning toward giving it at least one more season.
New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said Fitzgerald was the first player he reached out to and that the receiver said he was excited about the prospects of the coming season.
Fitzgerald has missed only six games in his career and has caught a pass in 211 consecutive contests, tied with Tony Gonzalez for second all-time. He has topped 100 catches and 1,000 yards receiving each of the alst three years and, last season, was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 11th time. Among wide receivers, only Rice has been selected more often.
He shared Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honors with Eli Manning a year ago.
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Ryne Stanek is set for a new role in the Tampa Bay rotation – sort of.
The reliever will likely now start two out of every five games in the Rays‘ ongoing bullpen-day experiment.
Wilson Ramos homered, six Tampa Bay relievers combined for a five-hitter and the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.
With right-handers Chris Archer and Jake Faria on the disabled list, Tampa Bay is using relievers to start three times through the rotation.
Stanek opened the game, striking out three in two perfect innings, and was followed by Austin Pruitt (2 2/3 innings) Patriots Game Jerseys , Jonny Venters (one-third of an inning), Chaz Roe (1 1/3 innings), Jose Alvarado (1 2/3 innings) and Sergio Romo (one inning).
”We won, so it’s a pretty good day,” Stanek said. ”It’s like anything, the more you do something, the more comfortable you’re going to be. It’s definitely starting to become a little more normal. It’s not really coming like a surprise.”
It was Stanek’s fourth start.
”Stanek set the tone,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ”The big story of the game was the bullpen, how they pieced it together.”
Pruitt (2-3) allowed four hits and a run but picked up the win. Romo allowed the other hit but locked down his second save.
”It’s always fun seeing guys come in behind you and get the job done,” Pruitt said.
Tampa Bay has won three of four following an eight-game skid.
Ramos put the Rays up 2-0 with his two-run drive off Jaime Garcia (2-5) in the third.
Garcia gave up four runs Saints Game Jerseys , four hits, four walks and struck out four in five-plus innings. The left-hander is 1-4 in seven road starts, allowing 28 earned runs over 31 1/3 innings.
”I competed and tried to make pitches,” Garcia said. ”There’s a couple of walks there that I’ve got to do a better there.”
Garcia departed after C.J Cron walked and went to third on Willy Adames‘ double to start the sixth. Pinch-hitter Joey Wendle and Mallex Smith both had run-scoring singles off Joe Biagini that made it 4-1.
Toronto had runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth but scored just once on Devon Travis‘ grounder off Pruitt.
”We had a chance to tie it, and then who knows?” Toronto manager John Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays have been held to one run or fewer 11 times.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: 3B Josh Donaldson (left calf tightness) remains day to day. … RHP Marcus Stroman (shoulder) will make a rehab start Wednesday night with Class A Dunedin.
Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier (right thumb torn ligament) went 2 for 4 with a walk in his first minor league rehab game with Class A Charlotte and hopes to be back June 22. … OF Johnny Field (sore knee) was available off the bench.
HOUSE OF HORRORS
The Blue Jays have dropped the first two games in the three-game set and are 73-105 at Tropicana Field. It’s the most losses at any road ballpark since 1998, the Rays’ inaugural season. ”They’ve always held us in check down here,” Gibbons said. ”I don’t care what the roster is, I don’t care what team is here. It’s always kind of been that way.”
REACHING A DECADE
Romo reached 10 years of major league service time Monday and was given a postgame celebration by his teammates. ”A pretty awesome day,” Romo said.
UP NEXT
Tampa Bay RHP Wilmer Font (0-1) will start another bullpen game Wednesday against Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ (8-3).
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