The Arizona Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald agreed to an eight-year deal that could pay the star receiver as much as $120 million, making it one of the richest deals in the NFL. Fitzgerald and team President Michael Bidwill appeared at a hastily called news conference Saturday night to announce the agreement.
The Cardinals had said they wanted Fitzgerald's new contract wrapped up by the start of the regular season, and they made it with two weeks to spare.
Bidwill, son of the team's owner, Bill Bidwill, said the Cardinals' intent is to have Fitzgerald retire as a Cardinal, "but not any time soon."
Fitzgerald, the third overall pick in the 2004 draft, spoke of the opportunity to spend his career with one team.
"It is an honor," he said. "I am so fortunate. Not many players have that opportunity, but Michael has allowed me that opportunity and I just want to repay him with great effort and winning. That is what is important."
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound receiver is the franchise's career leader in receptions with 613 and needs 294 yards to surpass Roy Green for most career yards receiving.
Fitzgerald has topped 1,000 yards receiving in five of his seven NFL seasons, including the last four. He caught 90 passes for 1,137 yards last season even though Arizona had one of the worst offenses in the league and was 5-11.
Pryor won't appeal five-game suspension
Terrelle Pryor worked out for 17 NFL teams Saturday and said afterward he would not appeal his five-week suspension at the start of the NFL season.
With the former Ohio State quarterback trying to prove he should be taken in the league's supplemental draft Monday, spectators included Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and director of football operations Kevin Colbert and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
"Whatever team I have an opportunity to play for, I will sign a contract," Pryor said after a hastily arranged pro day at a high school stadium near his hometown of Jeannette, Pa. "I will not forgo it and enter into next year's draft."
Pryor, who appeared to be in top shape, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds and threw an array of passes.
"I would like the opportunity to play quarterback," he said, "but I'll do anything that a team needs me to do to win."
Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel also made an appearance, supporting his former star player after resigning under pressure amid an NCAA investigation into allegations that Pryor and others improperly sold memorabilia.
Pryor left school for the NFL after Tressel's departure.
"Did great," Tressel said of the 6-foot-5, 232-pound Pryor. "He would help lots of teams."
The NFL allowed Pryor into the draft Thursday with the caveat that he would not be allowed to practice for the team that selects him until Week 6. The quarterback would have faced a five-game suspension had he stayed at Ohio State.
Colts' Manning hopes to be ready for opener
Peyton Manning still thinks he can be ready for Indianapolis' regular-season opener, but the rest of the exhibition season appears to be out.
Manning said he will use the next two weeks to continue recovering from off-season neck surgery, a timeline that could put his streak of 227 consecutive starts in jeopardy.
"I certainly want to be out there, and it's hard to keep track of the hours I've spent in rehab," he said Saturday in Indianapolis. "I was short-changed a little bit by the lockout and I'm going to need every bit of the next two weeks, and then I can give you more of an update with where I am."
Manning had surgery in May on a nerve in his neck and has been on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the start of training camp.
Etc.
Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Ryan Williams is scheduled to have surgery next week on a ruptured tendon in his right knee. The season-ending injury for the second-round draft pick from Virginia Tech came in the Cardinals' loss at Green Bay on Friday night.
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