Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald explains why he will never retire

The Arizona Cardinals legend is protesting that word

Aug 7, 2026 at 12:55 pm ET • 2 min read

Arizona Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday in Canton, Ohio. Players have to be retired for five straight seasons to qualify for the Hall of Fame, and while Fitzgerald hasn't played in the NFL since 2020, the wide receiver has never officially retired -- and maybe never will.

"I have not committed to retirement," Fitzgerald said this week, via the Cardinals' official website. 

That doesn't mean Fitzgerald is actively pondering a return to the gridiron, but he avoids the word "retirement." When he was a young boy, Fitzgerald's grandfather would talk with his friend about how retirement was deadly. The 42-year-old is done with football, not with life. 

"They'd talk about retirement killing more people in our country than anything," Fitzgerald said. "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 spent his entire life around football, and it's fair to assume he will stay close the game in retir- ... his "next phase of life." As a youth, Fitzgerald was a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings and head coach Dennis Green -- who would later coach Fitzgerald in Arizona. He found his way to the University of Pittsburgh for college, and after catching 161 passes for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns in just 26 games played, was selected by the Cardinals with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

It didn't take Fitzgerald long to establish himself as one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL. In his second NFL season, Fitzgerald led the league with 103 receptions. At 22-years-old, he was the youngest NFL player to catch 100 passes in a single season. Fitzgerald would go on to rack up nine 1,000-yard seasons, four 1,400-yard seasons and five seasons where he caught double-digit touchdowns. He was named to 11 Pro Bowls, led the league in receptions and receiving touchdowns twice, and earned the coveted Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2016. 

Fitzgerald was a lifetime Cardinal, and saw more losses than wins in his NFL career. He played in just nine postseason matchups over 17 years, but did power an impressive run to Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 with Kurt Warner. In those four playoff games, Fitzgerald caught 30 passes for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. That's 136.5 receiving yards per game! He admitted there was a time where he considered leaving Arizona, but ultimately decided against it.

"I would be lying to you if it didn't cross my mind, I didn't think about it, maybe even had conversations about it, but never seriously tried to put it in motion," Fitzgerald said, per ESPN. "I loved where I was at. And quite frankly, I don't know if it would've meant the same for me if I went to somewhere where it was already some super team."

To this day, Fitzgerald ranks second all time in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432), trailing only the great Jerry Rice. Fitzgerald is looking forward to his induction into "Football Heaven" this weekend. But don't make the mistake of saying he's retired.