BuccaneersThe 2021 season ended with a narrow loss in the division round to ramsbut the story could have been different if Tampa Bay had been able to acquire a couple of extra offensive hands, which they reportedly tried to do without success.
In an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 Wednesday, now-former HC Bruce Arians mentioned that he tried to convince WR Larry Fitzgerald join to Buccaneers in the final weeks of the regular season with an eye on last year’s playoffs.
“I did it,” Aryan commented. “Yes, when we lost our guys, especially when Chris Godwin got injured, I called Fitz and he said, “Coach, I can’t do two plays right now, but thanks.” And I said, “I just had to check.”
Godwin, who had 98 receptions for 1,103 yards last season, tore his cruciate ligament in week 15 of the regular season, so the Arians tried to make up for what was undoubtedly a hard loss for the team. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, decided he was not physically ready to join Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers ended up dropping out of the fight, heading to Super Bowl LVI.
Would the Buccaneers have become Super Bowl LVI champions with Larry Fitzgerald on their roster?
Fitzgerald, 38-year-old league legend, entered the league as a first-round pick Cardinals in the 2004 draft and spent his entire 16-year career in Arizona, where he worked alongside Bruce Arians as the franchise’s head coach from 2013 to 2017. In total, he had 1,432 receptions for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns during his tenure with the team. command.
Despite the foregoing, Fitzgerald did not appear in any matches for the 2021 season, and in mid-February this year 11x professional bowler and future Hall of Famer, without officially announcing his retirement, said that a return to the NFL was not in his plans.
“I had a great time. It was fun. I wouldn’t change a thing,” Fitzgerald said in February via ESPN. “I wish I could do more for the Valley in terms of winning the championship, but at the moment it’s water under the bridge.”