Larry Fitzgerald has plenty of reasons to stay with the Arizona Cardinals

The angst over receiver Larry Fitzgerald's future with the Cardinals increased this week, despite no apparent movement in negotiations and a significant lack of posturing by either side.

In radio interviews, team President Michael Bidwill and General Manager Steve Keim repeated what they have said for months: They want Fitzgerald to retire a Cardinal.

Bidwill did mention that "it takes two" to reach an agreement, implying the Cardinals are doing everything they can to keep Fitzgerald.

But they also are asking him to take a pay cut from the $16 million in salary and bonuses he's due to make this year.

Two deadlines:

March 10: Teams have to be under the projected salary cap of $140 million or so. On Friday, Keim said the Cardinals are about $16 million over.

March 14: Fitzgerald will earn $8 million if he's on the roster under his current contract, which carries a $23.6 million cap charge.

It's obviously in the Cardinals' best interests to keep the best, and most popular, player in their history in Arizona. And Fitzgerald, who turns 32 in August, can still play at a high level.

But is remaining a Cardinal in Fitzgerald's best interests?

Yes, and here's why:

Money

Fitzgerald is worth more to the Cardinals than he is to any other team. No other ownership group is going to value him as much as the Bidwill family.

Because of that, the Cardinals likely would be willing to pay Fitzgerald more than anyone else.

At 32, Fitzgerald's days of controlling all leverage in negotiations are over. It's hard to believe another team would pay him more than an average of $6 million a year. The Cardinals will, probably closer to $8 million.

That's more than fair for Fitzgerald, who would be the first to say the Bidwills have paid him handsomely over his 11 seasons.

Role

Normally in negotiations, it pays to follow the money. About 93.6 percent of the time, players go to the teams that pay them the most (an educated guess).

Fitzgerald is, or should be, past that point.

A larger issue is his role in coach Bruce Arians' offense. It's obvious we've seen the last of the days where Fitzgerald always lined up near the numbers, ran down the sideline and used his size, strength and incredible hand-eye coordination to make big plays.

Now, he lines up in the slot far more often and rarely runs anything deeper than intermediate routes.

Statistically, 2014 was his least productive season (63 receptions, 784 yards, two touchdowns) since 2004, his rookie year.

Maybe Fitzgerald envisions being used differently, and more productively, elsewhere.

But there were extenuating circumstances last season. Fitzgerald missed two games in November with a sprained knee ligament and wasn't healthy over the last month of the season.

Starting quarterback Carson Palmer missed 10 games with shoulder and knee injuries.

In the month or so prior to both players' injuries, the Cardinals offense showed signs of explosiveness. Part of the reason is that Palmer, perhaps nudging Arians in that direction, started throwing more passes to Fitzgerald, especially at critical times.

In the five games prior to Palmer's knee injury, Fitzgerald caught 31 passes for 391 yards. Extrapolate that over a season and Fitzgerald would finish with close to 100 receptions and more than 1,200 yards. Fitzgerald needs a few more seasons like that to ensure his credentials for the Hall of Fame.

Is the possibility of that worth trading for another team, another system, another quarterback?

Winning

The Cardinals won 11 games in 2014, tying a franchise record. Their 21 wins in Arians' two seasons also tied a franchise record.

Palmer is expected to return this summer from a knee injury. The offensive line is better than it's been in a decade. The defense is playoff caliber.

Can Fitzgerald find a similar, or better, situation elsewhere? That's questionable. It's not a given that perennial playoff teams, such as the Patriots, would be interested in Fitzgerald.

Declining a restructured deal in the hopes of playing with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, etc., would be a gamble.

Personal

It's difficult to guess how much of an impact this category may have on Fitzgerald. His two young sons live in Arizona. Fitzgerald is attached to the area. It wouldn't be easy for him to uproot, even for part of the year.

Reach Somers at kent.somers@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8335. Follow him at twitter.com/kentsomers.