Larry Fitzgerald might have played last home game

Last Sunday night, receiver Larry Fitzgerald played in his 90th home game with the Cardinals. There's a good chance it was his last.

We were reminded of that in the minutes before the Seahawks game when profootballtalk.com, citing an unnamed source, reported that the Cardinals would not release Fitzgerald in 2015.

On the surface, the report should have eased the anxiety of the legion of Fitzgerald and Cardinals fans. The team wants to keep him, right?

The Cardinals do. But what's said in December could be hard to pull off in March, when a combination of factors might lead Fitzgerald to play his 12th NFL season elsewhere.

It's been a big story in Arizona for months. Fitzgerald's cap number increases to $23.6 million in 2015, including an $8 million bonus if he's on the roster on the fifth day of the league year, which begins in March.

On Monday, General Manager Steve Keim told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that Fitzgerald's cap number is "baked in" the team's financial planning for next year.

What was left unsaid, however, is that if Fitzgerald is consuming 17 percent or so of the 2015 cap, he will be surrounded by rookies and journeymen. The team couldn't afford to pay for much more.

It's interesting, too, that the PFT report didn't rule out the possibility of the team trading Fitzgerald. That would also be hard to pull off, because no other team will want to assume Fitzgerald's current contract, which calls for salaries of $16.25 million in '15 and $15.25 million in '16.

With the $8 million bonus due on the fifth day of the league year, there wouldn't be much time to work out a trade and a new contract.

The easiest solution would be for both the Cardinals and Fitzgerald to give a little bit, settle on a new contract that would pay him, say, an average of $8 million a year. That would make everyone happy, right?

Missing from that rosy scenario, however, is how Fitzgerald fits on the field now, and for the next few years.

At 31, he no longer is being used consistently as a downfield threat. When was the last time we saw Fitzgerald running a go route down the sideline, using that large body and amazing hands to make a big play? If Fitzgerald is going to make a big play these days, it's going to be a catch and run.

Perhaps coach Bruce Arians and his offensive staff are wise in making this move. Few people are as fast at 31 as they were at 21. In Michael Floyd and John Smokey Brown, the Cardinals have younger and faster options to go deep.

It's also possible that Fitzgerald still has the physical ability to be one of the top five receivers in the NFL and feels restricted in Arians' offense.

We don't know for sure, because Fitzgerald keeps such thoughts to himself. If Fitzgerald is unhappy with his role, he might decide it's time to part ways after 11 seasons in Arizona and seek a better opportunity.

To do so, he and his agent, Eugene Parker, could decline a pay cut and see how serious the Cardinals are about their desire to keep Fitzgerald in Arizona.

If there is such a stand-off, there are risks to both sides.

The Cardinals would be paying an $8 million bonus in March for a receiver who turns 32 in August. The huge cap number would restrict them in free agency, which also begins in March, and in re-signing current players.

Under that scenario, a losing season might be as baked into 2015 as Fitzgerald's cap figure.

PHOTOS: ARIZONA CARDINALS FANS

Fitzgerald is the organization's icon, the most popular player in its Arizona history. That means something to the Cardinals, especially team President Michael Bidwill. Fair or not, the team will be criticized if Fitzgerald plays elsewhere in 2015.

The risk to Fitzgerald is the possible damage done to his image. The Cardinals signed him to three lucrative contracts before Fitzgerald turned 30, paying him in the range of $120 million.

As Fitzgerald has said, he's proof that it's inaccurate to call the Bidwill family cheap.

This is the first time Fitzgerald hasn't had all the leverage in contract negotiations. If he declines a contract that pays him an average of $8 million or so, it won't go over well with some fans.

Perhaps the Cardinals and Fitzgerald will come to an agreement. Or, maybe, they part amicably, explain that all relationships change and that they will get together again for special occasions, like ring of honor ceremonies and hall of fame inductions.

Reach Somers at 602-444-8335 or kent.somers@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @KentSomers.

Stat pack

2 – Number of offensive touchdowns by the Cardinals in the last 22 quarters, dating back to the second half against the Lions in the 11th game.

32nd – Where the Cardinals rank in kickoff return.

7th – Where the Cardinals rank in punt return average.

4 – Number of games in which the Cardinals defense has yielded at least 500 yards. They are 1-3 in those games.

13 – Number of teams that have only two quarterbacks on the roster. On Sunday, Logan Thomas will be the fourth to start a game for the Cardinals.

What they're saying

"The quarterback situation isn't pretty, but what happened to that defense against the Seahawks? They need to be better than that if they are to win a playoff game."

— Pete Prisco, cbssports.com

"9. Cardinals 11-4 (8): When the Next Man Up is a cook at P.F. Chang's, you've got problems."

— Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News, Philly.com, in his power rankings.