Larry Fitzgerald never said he was retired. Never had the desire to, nor an important enough reason.
"I didn't feel like I should say I was retiring because that's not what I was doing," Fitzgerald said back in 2022. "I'm simply just turning the page to the next chapter of my life."
The Cardinals legend still hasn't played since the end of the 2020 season. That's good enough, retirement announcement or not, to put him in position to be Hall of Fame eligible. And that's where the 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver finds himself as the NFL creeps toward the summer.
Nominations will be collected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame beginning in June. A cut to 50 nominees comes in September; the number is trimmed to 25 in the fall and a final 15 announced in December.
Fitzgerald, five years removed from his final appearance in a game, figures to be on all those lists in the first year he is on the ballot.
"I try not to get into the speculation," Fitzgerald told azcardinals.com. "I don't want to get my hopes up and for some reason it doesn't work out. It's completely out of my control. I did everything I possibly could to put myself in this position but they cut the numbers down (for yearly enshrinement)."
Fitzgerald said this while talking on the red carpet for his annual Fitz's Supper Club fundraiser, laughing off the idea he'd ever play again. Retirement wasn't uttered, but actions are what they are.
The Ring of Honor will come sooner rather than later, but there is always a chance Fitzgerald would rather fold that into any Canton results.
By many measures, the wide receiver who has the second-most receptions in NFL history (1,432) and second-most receiving yards (17,492) could expect that soon – specifically early February in Santa Clara, California prior to Super Bowl LX.
Both Fitzgerald and Drew Brees are among those eligible for the first time this year. Among those who have not gotten in that were finalists last year: running back Fred Taylor, linebackers Terrell Suggs and Luke Kuechly, quarterback Eli Manning, and wide receivers Steve Smith Sr., Torry Holt, and Reggie Wayne.
Even Fitzgerald noted the backlog of wide receivers, and his humble nature leaks into his analysis.
"It's really subjective," he said. "I played in a small market. I only played in the playoffs four times in 17 years. There are a lot of things I did well but a lot of things that work against me. All of that is going to be taken into consideration and that's why I try not to get too deep into it."
Up until last year, Hall of Fame voters discussed the 15 modern-era finalists, a vote was taken to trim to 10 and then five. A final vote was taken on the five, and as long as each got 80 percent of the vote, all five were inducted into that class.
The process, updated last year, now cuts the group of 10 to seven. But of the seven, voters can only vote for up to five, with the 80 percent threshold remaining in place.
Mathematically, that makes it much more difficult to get in compared to when a player was in the previous version of the five finalists. Votes get split.
The class must have at least three and up to five (plus between one and three from the pool of coaches, seniors, and/or contributors.)
Last year's class was only four: cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen, tight end Antonio Gates, and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe (who got in through the senior path.)
Reaching Canton on his first attempt always felt likely. It still does, even with the stricter guidelines. But he'll push forward with his second act in life – remember, not retired – doing charitable work and quietly building his business empire.
The Hall of Fame is when, not if. Fitz will let that play out on his own.
"I have zero control over it," Fitzgerald said with a chuckle. "I try to control the controllables."
