Arizona Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald officially eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame
After the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was inducted on August 2, the conversation turned to the 2026 class.
Former First-Team All-Pro Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is eligible for the first time.
Other notables include New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore and Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy.
Fitzgerald played his entire 17-year career with the Cardinals. He places second all-time in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432). He places sixth all-time with 121 receiving touchdowns.
This is despite the following quarterbacks starting 123 games (124 including postseason) for the Cardinals during the years Fitzgerald was in Arizona:
- Josh McCown (19 starts)
- Matt Leinart (17)
- John Skelton (17)
- Kevin Kolb (14)
- Drew Stanton (13)
- Josh Rosen (13)
- Derek Anderson (9)
- Ryan Lindley (7)
- Blaine Gabbert (5)
- Max Hall (3)
- Sam Bradford (3)
- Shaun King (2)
- John Navarre (1)
- Brian Hoyer (1)
Those 123 games started by those quarterbacks during the years Fitzgerald was in the desert amount to almost eight full seasons.
Fitzgerald was named to 11 Pro Bowl rosters and three All-Pro rosters. Fitzgerald was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-2010s all-decade team.
In the 2009 postseason, Fitzgerald had a stretch where he collected 30 catches for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. He had over 100 receiving yards in every game and scored at least one touchdown in every game. In the NFC Championship Game that year, he scored three touchdowns before scoring two more in the Super Bowl.
In nine total postseason games in his career, he caught 57 passes for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Fitzgerald finished his career with more tackles (41) than drops (29).
Fitzgerald also won the 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. If he is inducted in his first year on the ballot, he would be the first player who played most of his career with the Cardinals to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame since offensive lineman Duke Slater in 2020.