Larry Fitzgerald will return for 17th season with Cardinals in 2020

Larry Fitzgerald is determined to fight off Father Time for as long as possible, and the veteran wide receiver will continue with that battle in 2020.

Fitzgerald announced on Wednesday that he is returning for a 17th season with the Arizona Cardinals next year. While he was set to become a free agent, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 37-year-old has already worked out a new deal with the team.

Cardinals’ WR Larry Fitzgerald has been scheduled to become a free agent in March, but his new one-year deal with Arizona will take him through the 2020 season. And with him, who knows how far beyond.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 15, 2020

With a rookie quarterback under center this past season, Fitzgerald still managed to catch 75 passes for 804 yards and four touchdowns. He appeared in all 16 games for the fifth consecutive year, and his play really has not fallen off all that much.

Fitzgerald is second all time behind only Jerry Rice in receptions. Fitzgerald needs 171 more catches to match Rice’s 1,549, so he could possibly get there if he plays another two or three seasons. He’s also second behind Rice in receiving yards with 17,083 compared to Rice’s 22,895, so Fitzgerald seems unlikely to catch Rice in that category.

There’s no question Fitzgerald will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame when he is finally done playing, but you can’t blame him for wanting to keep at it. He’s still a very productive player and the Cardinals have an exciting young offense.