Last night it was announced via press conference that Larry Fitzgerald signed a contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals that will keep him on the team for eight more seasons. The terms of the deal, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, give Fitzgerald an 8-year extension worth about $120 million with $50 million being guaranteed.
This is certainly a momentous time for the Cardinals and their fans as they have now just locked up the franchise's best player for the rest of his career.
Rather than debate about whether or not the contract was worth too much or not, let's take a look at a few key quotes from the presser. Fitzgerald has always been known as a hard working and humble athlete; he wants to be the best at his craft and will continue to strive towards success. During the conference, he had this to say:
"I'm really uncomfortable up here talking about this type of thing to be honest with you," he said. "I look over here to the right and I see guys in a press conference like Kurt (Warner), Adrian Wilson and myself on the podium right before the Super Bowl and that's what I want to be on the podium for."
Fitzgerald continued on talking about how the contract situation being out of the way was a great thing for him and the organization. He commented that he, "hates this part of sports," and that "he was happy to put it behind us (the team and himself)."
Fitz knows this team is dedicated to winning, which we all know was a part of the reason he re-signed here. He remained humble, talking about his happiness towards the teams aggressiveness during free agency and he thinks it is, "a sign of things to come."
Fitzgerald, who had just arrived at the facility after being out for dinner, joked about having his cleats on the table during the entire interview.
"I mean when you sign an 8-year deal, when you come to the boss' office, I had to feel like I was doing something. Maybe you wanted me to go out there and run some routes today or something?"
The most interesting tidbit came from Cardinals president, Michael Bidwill.
Mr. Bidwill praised general manager Rod Graves for being able to work with Larry's agents on a deal that would be cap friendly.
"It allows us to build the team around him and around a lot of the other core players we have. We're excited that Larry was able to work with us and allow us to structure this in a way that allows it to be very positive for him, but also very positive for the team," said Mr. Bidwill.
While the exact way the contract is structured has not yet been released, one could assume that the back end of the deal is the most loaded part. With this, the first 5 or 6 years of the contract should allow the team to stay under the cap and remain flexible.
Larry, you are a consummate professional and in my eyes, you deserve every last penny of this deal. Congratulations to you and your family, this is certainly a moment to remember.