Could we see Larry Fitzgerald return to the Cardinals this season?

With DeAndre Hopkins still sidelined, should the Arizona Cardinals consider making a call to their former legendary wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald?

In their first season without Larry Fitzgerald on their roster since 2003, the Arizona Cardinals are sitting with a 9-2 record after their first 11 games, and they are one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in February.

Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, it looks like his timing to step away from the sport of football was a year too early. Imagine if this season wound up being the legendary wide receiver’s last in Arizona.

Even though Fitzgerald appears to be enjoying the retired life, is there any chance of him returning to the Cardinals this year to chase that Vince Lombardi trophy that eluded him during his entire NFL career?

What would it take for Larry Fitzgerald to re-join the Arizona Cardinals in 2021?

For the last three weeks, Arizona has not only been without the services of quarterback Kyler Murray, but All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins has also been sidelined during the team’s last three games due to injury.

The Cardinals are about to head into their bye week, so Hopkins will have some extra time to recover before the team returns in Week 13 to face the Chicago Bears. But what if he still isn’t ready to suit up for the Bears game?

Arizona currently has great wide receiver depth behind Hopkins with A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, and Christian Kirk filling up the depth chart. So if the Cardinals were going to add another pass-catcher to help make up for the loss of Hopkins, it would probably be someone to take over the No. 4 or No. 5 wide receiver role.

At the same time, Fitzgerald is someone who is already familiar with Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, so giving the future Hall of Famer a call might be something for Arizona to consider if needed.

Of course, there are several factors that would determine whether Fitzgerald would return to the Cardinals this season, including what shape he’s currently in and how much it would cost the team to sign him.

At this point, it feels like Arizona’s current wide receiver depth would have to crumble before they considered bringing back Fitzgerald.

With six games remaining on the Cardinals’ 2021 schedule, this is something that is still entirely possible. But a scenario like this really feels like the only believable way Fitzgerald could find his way onto Arizona’s roster this year.