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When Is Larry Fitzgerald's No. 11 Ceremony? Answering 5 Questions Cardinals Fans Are Asking
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- When Is Larry Fitzgerald's No. 11 Ceremony? Answering 5 Questions Cardinals Fans Are Asking
Larry Fitzgerald finally gets the farewell he skipped five years ago, and the Arizona Cardinals picked a busy Sunday to give it to him. His No. 11 goes into retirement at State Farm Stadium in Glendale during Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, a game that also brings former Cardinals defensive lineman Zach Allen back to the Valley and arrives with Fitzgerald joking about his Irish exit from the franchise.
Arizona comes in off an 18-16 walk-off win over the Rams, but the injury list and the Nov. 10 trade deadline are both hanging over the building. Here are the five questions Cardinals fans keep asking heading into a home game that already carries plenty of storylines on Fitzgerald's day .
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When is Larry Fitzgerald's ceremony, and what happens?
Former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. sits during an interview.Joel Angel Juarez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
The ceremony is at halftime of Sunday's game, which kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET (1:05 p.m. in Arizona). Fitzgerald will receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring, go into the Cardinals' Ring of Honor and see his No. 11 retired, all in one trip to midfield.
He will be the 20th member of the Ring of Honor and the first player added since Carson Palmer in 2019, according to the Cardinals' official website . No. 11 joins the numbers of Larry Wilson, Pat Tillman, Stan Mauldin, J.V. Cain and Marshall Goldberg. Fitzgerald left after the 2020 season without a farewell tour, and he expects his remarks to run 60 to 90 seconds. "I'm a Fitzgerald, so there's some Irish in there a long, long way back, and so the Irish goodbye is kind of my thing," he said. The date was picked in part because Notre Dame is off, so his son Devin, a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish, can attend. The resume speaks for itself: 1,432 catches, 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns, per his Pro Football Reference page .
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Why is Jeremiyah Love missing another game?
Oct 11, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love (4) against Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary (21) at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesMark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The rookie's ankle still isn't right, and the team is choosing patience. Coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Love will sit for a second straight week, the latest step in the Cardinals' decision on Love after five games.
Love, the No. 3 overall pick, did not practice all week and was ruled out on Friday's injury report. LaFleur pushed back on the idea that the Week 6 running game had anything to do with it. "The whole point of this was to get (Jeremiyah) feeling great and feeling 100 percent," he told the team's website Friday . There has been no move to injured reserve and no public timeline for his return. Love has 245 rushing yards on 67 carries with two total touchdowns. Without him, Bam Knight ran 15 times for 80 yards against the Rams, while Tyler Allgeier managed 38 yards on 18 carries. Allgeier's 2.66 yards after contact per attempt sits in the bottom half of qualified backs, per his PFF player page , which is why Knight's case for more carries keeps coming up.
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Can a banged-up offensive line keep Zach Allen off Jacoby Brissett?
Oct 11, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is pressured by Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
That might be the biggest matchup on the field. Arizona lost left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. for the season, has guard Isaiah Adams on injured reserve and will be without right guard Jon Gaines II, which leaves an injured line with a tall task .
Allen, a 2019 third-round pick who spent four seasons in Arizona, leads all interior defensive linemen with 26 pressures and carries a 77.4 pass-rush grade, according to his PFF player page . He also leads Denver with 16 quarterback hits. Edge rusher Nik Bonitto might be the tougher assignment, with an 89.2 pass-rush grade that ranks third among 115 edge defenders on his PFF profile . Jacoby Brissett has 1,328 passing yards and nine touchdown passes, but 18.5% of the pressures he faces become sacks, 22nd of 35 qualified quarterbacks. Hayden Conner is expected to start at right guard, so getting the ball out quickly is going to matter.
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Will the Cardinals finally score touchdowns in the red zone?
Oct 11, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) with quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
They have to, and everyone in the building knows it. Arizona went 0-for-5 inside the 20 at SoFi Stadium and needed six Chad Ryland field goals to overcome the red zone problem .
That game dropped the Cardinals' red-zone touchdown rate to 48 percent for the season. "We can't kick six field goals and expect to win football games," LaFleur said, according to the team's Friday notebook . Trey McBride is the obvious place to start, with 49 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He leads the league in receptions but averages just 7.4 yards per catch. "We have to score touchdowns in this league," McBride said after the Rams game. Denver kept Seattle out of the red zone until the fourth quarter last week, so there's a fix needed against Zach Allen and the rest of that front before the Cardinals reach scoring range.
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Will the Cardinals trade Budda Baker before Nov. 10?
Oct 4, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) celebrates fumble recovery with Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It's possible, and the money makes it easier. Baker's contract runs through 2027, and a trade now would leave just $3,061,250 in 2027 dead money, according to Over The Cap .
The case for keeping him is that Baker still makes plays near the line. He has four sacks, the most among safeties, and a 76.0 pass-rush grade on his PFF player page . The case for moving him is his 47.1 coverage grade, which ranks 81st of 98 safeties, and the fact that we laid out why a Baker trade is easier than it looks. He is questionable for Sunday with groin and illness issues. Edge rusher Josh Sweat is the other name buyers keep calling about, but general manager Monti Ossenfort shut that down in August. "We have no interest in trading Josh," Ossenfort told Arizona Sports in August . Sweat has a 60.2 overall grade and 10 pressures on his PFF page this season.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
