NFL notebook: Cardinals' Fitzgerald to return

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is returning for a 15th season, the team announced Thursday. Fitzgerald told new Cardinals coach Steve Wilks on Wednesday night that he intends to play in 2018 and finish his contract extension. Fitzgerald, who will turn 35 in Aug. 31, will make $11 million in base salary this season, the final year of his contract extension. The Cardinals confirmed Fitzgerald's status over Twitter. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection, Fitzgerald matched his own franchise record with 109 receptions while amassing 1,556 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season for Arizona. He has recorded 1,234 catches for 15,545 yards with 110 touchdowns in 218 career games since the Cardinals selected him with the third overall pick of the 2004 NFL draft. --Quarterback AJ McCarron won his grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to multiple reports, which makes him an unrestricted free agent when the 2018 league year begins March 14. The grievance centered around whether the Bengals had a proper medical basis for putting McCarron on the non-football injury list to start the 2014 season. Bengals officials believed McCarron, a fifth-round draft choice out of Alabama in 2014, suffered a right shoulder injury while away from the team, and they placed him on the non-football injury list on July 21, 2014, keeping him out of training camp. On Aug. 30, he was placed on reserve/non-football injury, which meant he would miss at least the first six games of the season. McCarron argued that was an improper designation because he had passed his post-draft physical and had kept the Bengals informed of his medical situation. The ruling by the arbitrator makes 2014 count as an accrued season, thus giving McCarron the four years necessary to qualify for unrestricted free agency. --Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said that the team would prefer to offer running back Le'Veon Bell a contract extension this offseason as opposed to the applying the franchise tag. In fact, Colbert reiterated several times that a long-term deal is preferable in regard to Bell, who missed all of training camp last season and played on a $12.1 million tag. The Steelers can apply the tag between Feb. 20 and March 6, after which it would have until July 15 to execute a contract. A franchise tag would pay Bell approximately $14.5 million for the 2018 season. Bell rushed for 1,291 yards in 2017, the second straight season and third time in his five years as a pro that he has gone over 1,000. He added nine touchdowns, giving him 35 in his career. The 25-year-old also provided a significant threat in the passing game, reeling in 85 catches for 655 yards with two scores. --The NFL has narrowed its list to five finalists to host the 2019 and 2020 drafts, the league announced. Denver, Cleveland/Canton, Las Vegas, Nashville and Kansas City are in the running to host the NFL Draft, marking the first time for each of those respective cities. The league is expected to announce the host cities for both the 2019 and 2020 drafts during the league meetings in Atlanta from May 21-23. This 2018 NFL Draft will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 26-28. It marks the first time the event will take place inside an NFL stadium. --The agent for Sebastian Janikowski said the left-footed kicker intends to return for a 19th season. Janikowski missed last season with a back injury and has been informed that he will not return with the Oakland Raiders, with whom he has spent his entire career. Janikowski, who is an impending free agent, was told that the Raiders will not bring him back for the 2018 season. The soon-to-be 40-year-old is the Raiders' all-time leading scorer with 1,799 points, including 414 field goals. He played in a franchise-record 268 games in 18 seasons. --The New York Giants named Mike Shula as their new offensive coordinator among several hires to finalize head coach Pat Shurmur's staff for the 2018 season, the team announced. Shula, who will coach the Giants' quarterbacks as well, was fired from the Carolina Panthers last month. Shurmur will call the plays while Shula will play a primary role in devising game plans, the Giants announced. The 52-year-old Shula spent five years as the offensive coordinator of the Panthers, with new Giants general manager Dave Gettleman serving in the same role with Carolina for the first four of them before being dismissed in July. Also, the Giants added Tyke Tolbert, Hal Hunter and Ben Wilkerson to the offensive staff. Tolbert will serve as the team's wide receivers coach, Hunter as offensive line coach and Wilkerson as assistant offensive line coach. --Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is mulling all options regarding the team's vacancy at offensive coordinator. Appearing on a SiriusXM Radio with Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of the reigning Super Bowl champions said he does not have a definitive plan to replace Frank Reich, who was named head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. There has been speculation that Pederson may not fill the position. He called his own plays this past season, and plans do so next season as well. "I haven't ruled out not having an offensive coordinator," Pederson told Krzyzewski, per profootballtalk.com. "But you know, as a head coach and some of the responsibilities that I have to do during the week and some of the other obligations, I've got to look at that too. Because that's where your offensive coordinator can really step in so, like I said, I'm processing a bunch of things." --Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he would like to have both running back Marshawn Lynch and wide receiver Michael Crabtree return next season. "I have talked to Marshawn briefly. We'll see. We'll keep everybody posted," Gruden told Bay Area News Group. "Right now, he's our leading ball carrier. He's our back, and we're counting on him. Hopefully we get an opportunity to work together. That's a man that has a lot of respect in this league as a player and I certainly have respect for him also." Lynch, 31, came out of retirement to play for the Raiders this past season, rushing for 891 yards in 2017. Crabtree is owed $7 million for 2018. He had 58 receptions for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017, a drop-off after catching 89 passes for 1,003 yards and eight scores in 2016. "I got to bump into Crabtree," Gruden said. "Hopefully we can get the best out of Crabtree and his career. There's some people in place, but we've got a number of issues that are concerning right now and we're focusing on them." --A South Carolina businessman has emerged as a potential buyer for the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Observer reported. Ben Navarro, who runs a financial firm in Charleston and is a former executive at Citigroup, is seriously pursuing a bid to purchase the team, according to the newspaper, which cited multiple sources familiar with the matter. Carolina owner and founder Jerry Richardson announced in mid-December that he was putting the team up for sale in the wake of allegations of workplace misconduct made against him. The NFL is investigating the matter, but the newspaper cited a source that said the sale could go forward before the completion of the probe. According to the Observer, Navarro is the first prospective bidder who has deep enough pockets to buy the club outright. --Seattle Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown took issue with the Houston Texans' negotiating tactics as well as comments by owner Bob McNair in a podcast with former teammate Arian Foster. McNair's comment about "inmates running the prison" particularly was bothersome to Brown, who was the longest-tenured Texans player entering last season. "I had to voice my displeasure," the 32-year-old Brown said on Arian Foster's Now What? podcast, via the Houston Chronicle. "There was so many other people who wanted to but that fear factor was there. But I was like '(Expletive), you don't have to, I will.'" Brown had two years remaining on the contract he signed in 2012 and wanted a new deal. He subsequently held out until Week 8, with the lineman telling Foster that the front office refused to even talk about an extension for the majority of the offseason. Brown ultimately was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. --Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Bobby Hart cited a nagging ankle injury as the reason he did not play in the New York Giants' season finale. Hart came under fire for reportedly telling the Giants' coaches that he would not play in the team's Week 17 clash against the Washington Redskins. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman placed Hart on waivers prior to the contest, with the latter being officially released after Super Bowl LII. "It's frustrating seeing all those things about you that you know are not true," Hart said, via the Bengals website. "The main thing I took from (Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis) is he's not just blowing smoke. You can just feel the genuine aspect coming from him." --The San Francisco 49ers are bringing in Florida Atlantic defensive coordinator Chris Kiffin as an assistant coach, according to a published report. Kiffin will take over the newly created position of pass-rush specialist coach, Sports Illustrated reported. The younger brother of FAU head coach Lane Kiffin and son of longtime NFL coach Monte Kiffin, Chris Kiffin fills a void on San Francisco's staff created when Jason Tarver departed to become Vanderbilt's defensive coordinator. Chris Kiffin helped orchestrate a dramatic turnaround by the defense in his first season with the Owls. FAU yielded an average of 22.7 points and 389.6 yards in 2017 after surrendering 39.8 points and 513.8 yards in 2016. San Francisco had one of the worst pass rushes in the league last season, tying the Miami Dolphins for 26th place in sacks with 30. --The Indianapolis Colts hired three assistant coaches, according to media reports. Dave Borgonzi was named the Colts' linebackers coach, ESPN reported, and the Sporting News reported Ray "Bubba" Ventrone will be their special teams coach and Alan Williams will be the secondary coach. Borgonzi was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive quality control coach the past four years. He worked with new Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus when both were assistant coaches for the Dallas Cowboys. Ventrone was the New England Patriots' assistant special teams coach for the past three years. Williams was the Detroit Lions' secondary coach the past four seasons and was the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013. --An NFL investigation into an alleged domestic incident involving Carolina Panthers interim general manager Marty Hurney could be ending soon, according to a published report. Hurney, currently on paid administrative leave, will remain a candidate for the Panthers' vacant general manager opening if he is cleared, the Charlotte Observer reported, citing a source. The NFL is investigating Hurney under the league's personal conduct policy. He was placed on leave by the team earlier this month after his ex-wife requested a temporary restraining order, claiming her husband harassed her. A hearing had been scheduled for Friday on the request, but Jeanne Hurley withdrew her complaint after a district judge refused to issue a restraining order, saying there was no evidence of domestic violence. --The Tampa Bay Buccaneers interviewed Ted Monachino for their defensive line coach opening, according to a published report. Monachino, the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts the past two seasons, interviewed with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The Buccaneers are seeking a replacement for Jay Hayes, who was dismissed from the team over the weekend. Tampa Bay surrendered a league-worst 378.1 yards per game last season. --The Jacksonville Jaguars indefinitely banned two fans they have positively identified as throwing debris at Seattle Seahawks defensive end Quinton Jefferson during a Dec. 10 game at EverBank Field. Jefferson needed to be restrained from climbing into the stands to confront the fans during the tail end of Jaguars' 30-24 win over the Seahawks. The two fans were not season ticket holders while two others in question have yet to be positively identified. The Jaguars conducted what they labeled a "thorough examination of the incident" in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office, NFL Security, the team's stadium management company and the stadium's security service.