Jerry Rice on Larry Fitzgerald's decision: 'I hope he's at peace with it'
TEMPE, Ariz. — If there’s one player who knows what Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald went through as he pondered his playing future, it’s Jerry Rice.
The Hall of Fame receiver, who sits atop the three major all-time receiving record lists Fitzgerald has scaled throughout his career, played until he was 42 and faced similar decisions — whether to retire or continue playing — during the latter part of his career. But with the aid of hindsight and experience, Rice has one wish for Fitzgerald, who announced Wednesday he’ll return for a 14th season.
“I hope he’s at peace with it,” Rice said.
The key for Fitzgerald continuing at the same pace he’s played at recently — he led the NFL in receptions in 2016 — will boil down to one thing, according to Rice: how well Fitzgerald’s body responds.
“This is totally different from, say, a quarterback,” Rice said. “Tom Brady wants to play until he’s 45. He could do that. But as a receiver, it takes more. You’ve still got to be able to run. You’ve still got to be able to have that burst. You’ve got to have that separation. You have to have that endurance. So it’s something I feel Tom Brady can really accomplish, but as a receiver, eventually Father Time is going to catch up with you and say, ‘Hey, no, you’re not like you were (at) 20. You can’t do some of the things you did when you were 20.’”
Rice admitted he was “fighting” his age and his body toward the end of his career.
One of the toughest parts of deciding whether to keep playing, Rice said, is weighing the love of the game and desire to continue against the reality of knowing it’s time to hang it up.
Having worked out with Fitzgerald in the past, Rice said if there is a secret to longevity and productivity in the NFL, Fitzgerald knows it. Comparing the twilight of his career to Fitzgerald’s, Rice said an aging receiver needs to answer two difficult questions if they want to continue playing: Do they still want to play at a very high level? And do they still want to be the guy? Toward the end of Rice’s legendary career, which ended with three teams in two seasons, he was more of a mentor to younger receivers than anything else.
But Fitzgerald’s career isn’t taking the same trajectory as Rice’s, mainly because Fitzgerald could be entering the final year of his career eight years younger than Rice was when retired. Fitzgerald proved last season he still was capable of producing league-leading numbers at age 33. He led the NFL with 107 catches and had more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season.
Fitzgerald also came closer to Rice’s historic records in 2016, finishing the season third on the all-time receptions list with 1,125 (424 behind No. 1 Rice), ninth on the all-time receiving yards list (8,506 behind No. 1 Rice) and eighth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list (93 behind No. 1 Rice).
Fitzgerald has said in the past he doesn’t plan on playing long enough to catch Rice in any of those categories, but it’s possible Fitzgerald could end next season third on the all-time receiving yards list if he turns in another 1,000-yard season and sixth on the all-time receiving touchdowns list if he has 10 touchdown catches.
“Well, my records are not meant to be broken so that’s not going to happen,” Rice said with a laugh. “No, I’m just joking. Watching all of those guys, man, and the numbers that they’re putting up now, it’s a passers league. The ball is in the air, and I know records are meant to be broken.”
But, if next year should be Fitzgerald’s swan song, he’ll accomplish something Rice couldn’t by playing his entire career with one team.
“It doesn’t happen that often,” Rice said. “I think that shows the loyalty of the organization, also Larry in general.
“He’s a great athlete and I have watched him really grow and develop and put up outstanding numbers.”