After Kurt Warner retired following the 2009 season, Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals went through quarterbacking hell.
The Cards trotted out the likes of John Skelton, Derek Anderson, Max Hall, Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley, heck, even Brian Hoyer started one game. Then Arizona traded for Carson Palmer and the quarterback carousel finally slammed closed.
Fitzgerald never wants to get back on that maddening ride.
When discussing his future Tuesday on KMVP-FM the 32-year-old receiver, entering his 13th season, said there are two necessities to continuing his career: winning and a good quarterback.
"I just want to be on a contender; we've got a great group of guys here, we've got a wonderful football team that can compete at the highest level right now," he said, via ArizonaSports.com. "I'm hoping that we can win the Super Bowl this year and it would be no questions asked."
When asked if that meant he would ride off into the desert sunset, like Peyton Manning, if the Cardinals won Super Bowl LI, Fitzgerald said that would depend on Palmer's future.
"I would still have to think about it and see where I was at," he said, before linking his fate to his quarterback's. "A lot of it's tied to Carson (Palmer) -- Carson's playing at a high level. I don't want to go through any other quarterback situations. It's been great to have the stability that we have now with the big fella, he's been playing light's out."
Fitzgerald caught 109 passes in 2015, for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. It was Fitzy's first season over the 100-catch barrier since 2007 and first above 1,000 yards in four seasons. Those aren't stats of a man who seems destined to retire anytime soon.
However, it's understandable Fitzgerald wouldn't want to go through another quarterback search. Is it possible that with Palmer turning 37 this year, the Cardinals could win the Super Bowl and watch both the quarterback and receiver retire together?
