Larry Fitzgerald is a legend. No one is denying that. The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver has been one of the best in the NFL since he was drafted all the way back in 2004.
One quick look at his numbers will back up any positive things said about Fitzgerald. In his career, he has 1,378 receptions for 17,083 yards and 120 touchdowns.
However, his career is coming close to an end. In fact, there have been plenty of rumors and speculation that he was going to retire. In each of the last few years the”this is Fitzgerald's last season” train has gained a lot of steam.
He has already confirmed he will be back for 2020 though, and is excited to get to work.
How Fitzgerald Can Break Rice's Record
What does that mean for the record books exactly? According to Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com, it means that there is still hope that Fitzgerald could actually break Jerry Rice's reception record.
Rice ended his career with 1,549 receptions. Oddly enough, his last season was 2004, Fitzgerald's rookie year.
Fitzgerald is up to 1,378. That still seems like a bit away, but the wide receiver is still posting fantastic numbers. In 2019, he had 75 receptions for 804 yards and four touchdowns.
So if Fitzgerald replicates those numbers in each of the next two years, he would add 150 receptions. That would give him 1,528 receptions in his career. Then if he played a third season, he would need just 21 receptions to tie the record and 22 to break it.
Now, playing three more seasons might seem like a stretch. Especially given the retirement speculation over the last few years. But it really wouldn't be that crazy.
Fitzgerald proved in 2019 that he is still in fantastic shape and can still put up great numbers. He's also just two years removed from a 109-catch year. So it's not like he can't put up even more massive stats.
The Cardinals are trending in the right direction. Because of that, Fitzgerald might be tempted to stay for a few more seasons. If that happens, Rice's reception record is in serious danger. And with how beloved Fitzgerald is, you might even catch Rice rooting for him.
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