Larry Fitzgerald Signs 8 Year Deal with Cardinals

Arizona Cardinal fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief as sources have announced that star Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald has signed to an extension that will keep him under contract through the 2018 season. The five time Pro Bowler was entering the last year of his contract with the Cardinals and had a deal not been reached, he could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Instead, he'll be a Cardinal for the next 8 years for the sum of $120M.

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Fitzgerald, who will turn 28 at the end of the month, is arguably one of the game's most prolific wide receivers. Over his 7 year NFL career with Arizona he has hauled in 613 passes for 8204 yards and 65 touchdowns. Last year, despite playing with quarterbacks the likes of John Skelton, Max Hall and Richard Bartel, he still managed to produce over 1100 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. Now, with Kevin Kolb at the helm, Fitzgerald has the potential to put up numbers comparable to what he was able to produce during the Kurt Warner era. With the competition atop the NFC West wide open once again, the addition of Kolb and the stabilizing of the Fitzgerald situation should put the Cardinals right in the thick of the playoff hunt. If Beanie Wells can stay healthy and provide some semblance of a credible running attack, the Cardinals offense could be a force to be reckoned with. The Cardinals open the 2011 season at home against the Carolina Panthers on September 11th.