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Larry Fitzgerald is the Arizona Cardinals' most well-paid player, with the receiver earning big bucks since signing an eight-year, $120 million contract in August of 2011.

Pricey, but fair for one of the best receivers in the game.

Except, last season he wasn't. Or, at the very least, the team around him held him back.

Fitzgerald caught just 71 passes for 798 yards and four touchdowns. It's his lowest reception total since 2006, the fewest yards he's gained since his rookie season and the worst TD mark of his career.

Combine that lack of production with his hefty paycheck, and the folks at ProFootballFocus.com, courtesy of an ESPN Insider piece, say Fitz is one of the most overvalued players in the NFL.

Sometimes you just have to blame a team. The Cardinals invested heavily in Fitzgerald, yet they haven't put the talent around him to make full use of their marquee receiver. In years past Fitzgerald has been able to overcome that, but this season appeared to be something of a breaking point. He caught just 48 percent of balls thrown his way (eighth-lowest of all receivers) and dropped 6.58 percent of catchable balls (his highest rate since we started tracking in 2008).

While tough to hear it's not exactly unbelievable, as even the best receiver is not as useful if the team can't get him the ball.

But does that mean the Cardinals should look to move their top wideout? Not really, though it reaffirms what we already knew: They need to change some things if they're going to get a proper return on their investment.

Adam Green, Web Content Editor - ArizonaSports.com

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    mesa mad man wrote...
    Poorly Worded
    I havent read the article so maybe they word it differently than you did, but I disagree that Fitzgerald is "overvalued" based on the pretense the rest of his offense is not good. Statistics dont show the full story either. Catching 48% of the passes is one thing if they are actually decent throws, but its a whole nother story when the ball is thrown into triple coverage
  • Abuse
    navymike wrote...
    Overvalued?
    If overvalued means not worth what he is being paid then that's absurd. He can't throw the ball to himself, nor can he be an effective running back to open up the passing game. Stupid article...
  • Abuse
    Guyinaz wrote...
    Negative
    Sorry, but the face of the Arizona Cardinals - and basically the only true star in town - needs to get paid. Larry's impact goes well beyond what he does on the field, he is an ambassador for the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL. Larry has proven he can get it done of the field, it's not his fault if they can't get the ball to him.
  • Abuse
    sundevil7901 wrote...
    Overvalued?
    For what he's done for the team, and the community? How he's played and conducted himself, on and off of the field? Absolutely not.
  • Abuse
    AZ Hope wrote...
    Larry
    Larry is a big part of why I am such an AZ Cardinals fan. He is a true professional. I have loved him on our team. But he deserves a better offense than he has had for the last few years. Larry is a stud and deserves a superbowl ring. It would be great if he could get that in AZ but I don't think so. If we could trade Larry to a contender for a beast of an offensive line and draft an up and coming stud of a wide reciever, it could work out for all of us.
  • Abuse
    Whatashame wrote...
    no doubt about it
    They should make him get a haircut and then they should cut him.
  • Abuse
    Think4URself wrote...
    Love the guy, great talent...But
    Yes, but then again, most WRs are over-rated. Love to see if Arians has the stones to pull the trigger.
  • Abuse
    CroDawg wrote...
    I think most would agree
    with me that Fitz is an absolute class act. I'm proud he is the face of the franchise and he should be. Coach Arians is going to get things turned around. The offense will be much better next year and Fitz will be back to putting up big numbers. I really don't care what the national media thinks. It's always going to be negative anyway. IMO the Cards landed the best coach on the market in the offseason (love Horton though). We will compete next year despite bein in the toughest division.
  • Abuse
    SurpriseMe wrote...
    of course
    DUH of course just because he has no QB to throw the ball, No OL to give QB time or RB room to run and no RB to run. If possible Fitz should be QB, OL, RB and WR all on the same play. the team would score more. lol
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