Larry Fitzgerald has not played in the NFL since 2020, and it is fair to say he never will again. Despite that, the legendary wide receiver never officially retired, and never will.
The former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver made clear that he has “not committed to retirement” last week, even on the verge of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The reason is not that he is harboring hopes of a comeback, though. He just objects to the idea on principle, which he seized on based on a conversation between his grandfather and a friend when he was young.
“They’d talk about retirement killing more people in our country than anything,” Fitzgerald told Darren Urban of the team’s official website. “It always stuck with me. I just don’t believe in retirement. I just think you transition into different phases, especially as an athlete. I was done at 38. Retire? There is no retirement in sight.
“I protest the word more than the actual thing. So I just won’t acknowledge that.”
Fitzgerald has always been pretty cautious with his words when it comes to the state of his NFL career. At the same time, he has never expressed much interest in playing again since last taking the field in 2020. At one point it might have been possible, but he turns 43 at the end of the month, and it is safe to say that door would be closed to him even if he wanted to try it.
The NFL does have an administrative process in which a player can notify the league of his retirement in order to gain immediate access to pension benefits. Some players do not even know about that and never file the paperwork, but it is not necessary, as those benefits automatically kick in one year after the player’s last NFL contract. In other words, Fitzgerald does not need to ever officially retire from the NFL, and that is clearly how he wants it.
