The Arizona Cardinals are making room for Larry Fitzgerald in the franchise’s permanent history. On Monday, the team announced it will retire his No. 11 and add the legendary wideout to its Ring of Honor in 2026.
That feels fitting for a player who spent 17 seasons turning big moments into Cardinals lore. Fitzgerald didn’t just become the best player in Arizona history - he built a résumé that put him among the greats at his position, period.
His defining NFL moment came on the league’s biggest stage in Super Bowl XLIII. Fitzgerald nearly dragged the Cardinals to a stunning title over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top-ranked defense, catching two touchdown passes and delivering a breathtaking 64-yard catch-and-run score that put Arizona ahead 23-20 with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter. He finished that game with seven catches for 127 yards, and the performance was part of a postseason run for the ages.
That 2008 playoff stretch was already historic before the Super Bowl even kicked off. Fitzgerald had at least five receptions, 100 yards and one touchdown in each of Arizona’s first three postseason games, putting together what remains the most dominant pass-catching postseason in NFL history.
In four games, he totaled 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns, setting single-postseason records for receiving yards and receptions. Travis Kelce and Cooper Kupp have since topped the receptions mark, but the standard Fitzgerald set still looms large.
He also became the first player to score three touchdowns in a conference title game when he did it against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He found more playoff magic in 2016 against the Packers, in what would turn out to be his final postseason win. Green Bay had forced overtime with Jeff Janis’ Hail Mary touchdown on the last play of regulation, but Fitzgerald answered immediately.
On the first snap of OT, he turned a catch into a 75-yard gain after breaking multiple tackles, then finished the drive with the game-winning touchdown to send Arizona back to the NFC title game. The Cardinals later lost to the Carolina Panthers, and that became Fitzgerald’s last playoff appearance.
Even as his career moved into its later years, Fitzgerald kept climbing the all-time lists. In 2018, he reached 15,952 receiving yards and passed Terrell Owens for second place behind only Jerry Rice.
The next year, he moved into second in career receptions by going past Tony Gonzalez’s 1,325 catches. Fitzgerald led the NFL in single-season receptions and touchdowns twice, and he retired with 1,432 catches, 17,492 receiving yards and 121 touchdowns - sixth most in league history.
He also owns one of the stranger numbers you’ll ever see attached to a Hall of Fame-caliber receiver: Larry Fitzgerald had more tackles (41) than dropped passes (29) in his NFL career 🤯
Fitzgerald’s impact went well beyond Sundays, too. He shared the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award with Eli Manning in 2016, recognition for his work on the field and in the community. He founded the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation, which supports youth education and breast cancer resources, and he has also served as the national spokesperson for the NFL’s Crucial Catch campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Cardinals Finally Give Larry Fitzgerald The Honor Fans Wanted
Larry Fitzgerald is finally getting the kind of Cardinals honor many fans long felt was overdue. Arizona announced it will retire his No. 11 jersey on October 25, when the Broncos come to town, adding another lasting tribute to a receiver whose entire 17-year career was spent in one uniform and whose recent Pro Football Hall of Fame induction only reinforced his place in franchise history.
Michael Bidwill framed the recognition around more than just production on the field, pointing to Fitzgeralds professionalism and his impact on the organization and community. For a player who defined an era in Arizona, the jersey retirement gives the franchise a chance to celebrate not just what he did, but what he represented every time he took the field. [Read more 🡒]
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