During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7-FM, Bruce Arians was asked if ever tried to get former Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald to play for the Buccaneers.
Arians couldn’t help but laugh.
“I did,” Arians said. “Yeah when we lost our guys, especially when Chris Godwin got hurt, I called Fitz and he said, ‘Coach, I couldn’t run two plays right now, but thanks.’ And I said, ‘I just had to check, brother.’”
Godwin tore his ACL and sprained his MCL in Week 15 this past season while Tampa was eyeing another Super Bowl run, so Arians decided to turn over every rock he could. He coached Fitzgerald, an 11-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer, while in Arizona from 2013 to ‘17.
Fitzgerald, 38, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the 2020 season, though he hasn’t officially announced his retirement.
The Buccaneers made it to the divisional round of the playoffs without Godwin before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams. And then Arians shocked the NFL world when he announced his own retirement on March 30.
Seeing Fitzgerald play another NFL snap would have been a joy to see, but his NFL days are over.
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