Fitzgerald returning to Cards

PHOENIX No. 11 is coming back for the Arizona Cardinals.

New Arizona coach Steve Wilks says wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald — arguably the most popular and certainly the most prolific player to don a Cardinals uniform — has told him he’ll return for a 15th NFL season.

Wilks made the comment Thursday on the Doug & Wolf sports talk radio show. Wilks says Fitzgerald told him of his decision Wednesday night.

Fitzgerald hadn’t said publicly whether he would remain for another season and there was speculation he might follow the lead of coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer, who both retired after last season.

The 34-year-old Fitzgerald is one of the most prolific receivers in the game’s history, ranking third on the NFL career lists for receptions and yards receiving. He finished second in the NFL with 109 catches last season.

He returns even though there is no quarterback on the Arizona roster. General manager Steve Keim has said the team will move aggressively to fill that void, through free agency, trade or the draft — or any combination thereof.

Fitzgerald has caught passes from 17 quarterbacks since being drafted No. 3 overall by Arizona in 2004.

Although Jerry Rice’s NFL career records are out of reach, Fitzgerald has a good shot at moving up to No. 2. He needs 92 catches to reach second in career receptions and 390 yards receiving to pass Terrell Owens for No. 2 in that category.

Fitzgerald has one year remaining on his contract and has missed only six games in his career.