It’s been a while since the Arizona Cardinals were a legitimate NFL threat, having last made the playoffs in 2021.

After that season, the Cardinals went 4-13 in back-to-back seasons before finally improving to 8-9 for the 2024 NFL season, and they now sit at 2-2.

Larry Fitzgerald retired after the 2020 season, and three years later, the organization selected Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick. When the Hall of Famer’s son came out of college, it was widely expected that if anyone were to replicate Fitzgerald’s Pro Bowl numbers, it would be Harrison.

But it has not gone as planned.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

In 21 games played, he’s eclipsed the 100-yard mark just twice. He does have a knack for the end zone, though, averaging a touchdown in just about every other game, and Fitzgerald thinks he will be – and is – just fine.

“When he was at Ohio State, you know, he had a plethora of first-round picks that were with him there, so he didn’t have to carry the water all the time by himself. He was the best player, but he also had a really strong supporting cast. And, you know, he came out and was kind of just thrust into the number one spot, right?” Fitzgerald told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

“I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination he’s had a bad start. But if you’re thinking about [Brian] Thomas in Jacksonville and [Malik] Nabers in New York, you’re comparing him to some of the other guys, I think those comparisons start to come alive.”

The noise was loud after Harrison struggled early last week, but he ultimately finished with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in a tight 23-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. 

“I’m really excited about what he’s gonna do. It would be one thing if you were telling me he couldn’t run, he couldn’t get off the press, or he wasn’t quick enough, or he wasn’t strong enough. You’re talking about catching a football, right? Like, you can improve that and get better with that through repetition. He didn’t struggle with it at Ohio State or in high school, it’s more just getting over the mental hurdle. Physically, the dude is a beast.”

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 18) walks off the field after an NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 28, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

JAY CUTLER REPORTS TO JAIL TO SERVE SENTENCE FOR MISDEMEANOR DUI

Those same aforementioned comparisons can be said for Kyler Murray, who was the first overall pick in 2019. But, like Harrison, Fitzgerald is happy with what he’s seen out of his own former quarterback.

“I think he’s gotten a lot better. This being his seventh year, he’s definitely taken another step. He’s made some wonderful throws. He makes some great throws, and I just want to see him continue to take those next steps as the leader of the organization,” Fitzgerald said.

“You’re always comparing him to other people in similar situations. But look at the numbers, when he’s healthy, he produces. Is it the same as Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow or Josh Allen? No, but he’s not a bum, and he’s producing. He’s able to get the team wins and keep them in competitive games. So I wouldn’t say he’s far off. I mean, he’s got the skill set, that dude is fast as heck, he processes information quickly, he can throw the deep ball, he can throw the intermediate ball, he can throw it left, throw it right. I mean, the guy is just super skilled, and I think we are just kind of waiting for that next step into the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league.”

The Cards have a get-right game against the 0-4 Tennessee Titans, and one can’t blame Fitzgerald for throwing a few bucks on his former team this weekend. Fitzgerald is a partner with DraftKings to spread the word about responsible gaming.

“I’ve been a big DraftKings fan for a very long time, and as gambling continues to grow, it’s only gonna become more prevalent. And it’s great that it’s legalized now, because it has a lot of positive effects on our community for tax revenue and things of that nature. And if people want to gamble, we want to also let them know that there’s ways to be able to do it in a responsible manner and be able to set limits for yourself and things of that nature. That is the most important thing, that you can do it responsibly and make sure that you’re not exceeding what your limitations are and that it’s never becoming an issue,” Fitzgerald said.

DraftKings currently has the Cardinals at +1900 to win the NFC West, by far the worst odds out of anyone. The Los Angeles Rams are +115, the San Francisco 49ers are +180, and the Seattle Seahawks are +370.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (No. 1) looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Glendale, Arizona, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But the Cardinals’ legend is confident that the underdog can come out on top.

“It’s a very tough division, there’s no easy wins out there, but the Cardinals are in every game they compete in. I mean, they’ve lost by a combined six points in the two losses they’ve had. It’s not like they’ve been getting taken to the woodshed,” he said. “I just think it’s just starting off fast and having that sustained offensive production, because the defense has done a good job.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Ending a summerlong stalemate, restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to the Golden State Warriors, agent Aaron Turner of Verus Basketball told ESPN on Tuesday.

The deal includes a team option in the second year that is designed for the Warriors — or another team if and when Kuminga is traded during the upcoming season — to rip up and complete a fresh new contract after the 2025-26 campaign, sources said.

Also Tuesday, the Warriors agreed to a one-year deal with free agent Seth Curry, sources told ESPN, teaming Stephen Curry with his younger brother as training camp begins Wednesday. However, the Warriors cannot enter the season with 15 standard players on the roster unless they make a trade, but Seth Curry is expected to be on the roster for the majority of the campaign.

Ahead of Wednesday’s qualifying offer deadline, Kuminga chose the two-year deal over a proposal of three years and $75 million so he can maintain a higher level of control over his immediate Warriors future. The Warriors never wavered on their team option frameworks during negotiations. Now, both sides understand the likelihood of exploring trades when Kuminga is eligible to be moved in mid-January. As part of the deal, he is waiving his inherent no-trade clause.

Kuminga missed media day Monday and the first day of Warriors practice Tuesday as the sides finalized the deal.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Kuminga’s side have been locked in a stalemate throughout the offseason over the framework of the contract, but Golden State ultimately increased its two-year offer by a total of $8 million between July and September and guaranteed Kuminga approximately $15 million more than his one-year, $8 million qualifying offer would have for this season.

Over the past two months, the Warriors have had a standing offer of two years and $45 million with a team option, and earlier this month offered a three-year, $75 million contract with a team option and a three-year, $54 million fully guaranteed deal. Kuminga and his side wanted a player option throughout the negotiations, or a higher annual salary with a team option, requests that were denied by the Warriors.

Choosing the two-year structure allows Kuminga to create a decision for whichever team he is on next summer or get to 2027 unrestricted free agency.

The Warriors made a jump to $48.5 million total over two years in the latest and last round of these drawn-out negotiations. Kuminga’s deal becomes the fourth-highest salary on the Warriors’ books next season behind Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green, escalating the team’s luxury tax penalty by $70 million to a total of over $80 million.

By signing Kuminga to a salary of $22.5 million next season, Golden State will still have the flexibility to use its $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception and sign two players to the veteran’s minimum. Gary Payton II signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Warriors on Monday, and Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and rookie Will Richard have agreed to deals, too.

The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings were the strongest suitors for Kuminga in trade talks, with the largest sign-and-trade offer coming via the Suns as a four-year, nearly $90 million deal with a player option, sources said. The Warriors never showed interest in either team’s trade proposal, however, declining concepts of Royce O’Neale and second-round picks from the Suns and Malik Monk and a protected first-round pick from the Kings.

Kuminga was largely out of the rotation in the Warriors’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, playing just 50 minutes total across seven games, including four that he sat out due to coach’s decision. He averaged six points on 30.4% shooting against Houston. However, Kuminga shined in the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves with Curry sidelined. He averaged 20.8 points on 54.3% shooting against the Timberwolves, including three straight games scoring over 20 points to end the series.

Kuminga has led the Warriors in paint points per game in each of the past two seasons as he averaged 10 points in the paint in 2023-24 and 8.5 last season, per ESPN Research — a major boost for a team that was fifth worst in paint points last season. Among players from the 2021 draft class, Kuminga ranks fifth in points per 36 minutes (minimum 150 games).

Kuminga is also one of eight players with 3,000 points and 1,000 rebounds from the 2021 draft class, and he is one of five players to score 3,000 points before turning 23 in Warriors history.

Kuminga has shown an ability to raise his performance when the Warriors are missing a key cog, increasing his scoring average from 14.1 points in games Curry played to 19.6 points in 10 games without Curry, which was second on the team in this situation behind only 20 points per night from Butler, who played just three contests without Curry. Kuminga also increased his shooting percentage from 44.5% with Curry to 48.2% without him.

Kuminga becomes the third restricted free agent to find a resolution in September, after Cam Thomas signed a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to return to the Brooklyn Nets and Josh Giddey reached a four-year, $100 million deal to stay with the Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia‘s Quentin Grimes remains the final outstanding restricted free agent.

Entering free agency this summer, only a few teams had salary cap space, which created a freeze for the restricted market. The Nets have operated as the only team with real salary cap space for the majority of the offseason.

Barcelona hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League has a big chance of being the best, most dramatic, thrilling match anywhere in the world this week.

Last time they met, 17 months ago, the Catalans won brilliantly in the French capital and the Parisians replied with a punishing victory in Barcelona. That tit-for-tat battle treated us to 10 goals while former Barça coach Luis Enrique inspired his new team through to the Champions League semifinals in his debut season.

Given that eight of the top 12 players in last week’s Ballon d’Or ranking were scheduled to decorate Wednesday’s match, there has been understandable focus on the injury lists: Raphinha, Gavi, Ousmane Dembélé, Marquinhos, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all out; plus doubts of varying degrees surround João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha.

But this is a meeting that can leave participants in tatters, irrespective of the physical or mental state in which they approach it.

– Ogden: Mourinho’s Chelsea return a reminder of his icon and impact
– Kirkland: Real Madrid travel 4,000 miles east to Asia for historic UCL trip
– 2025-26 Champions League: Full fixtures schedule for league phase

Of the three I have in mind, only two are scheduled to go toe-to-toe again this time: Luis Enrique and Ronald Araújo. The other is Xavi Hernández, who, defeated and sent off on the night in April last year, only coached the club he passionately loves for seven more matches before they sacked him.

With that glimpse of Champions League glory (a potential semifinal against Borussia Dortmund and what would, hypothetically, have been Barça’s third Wembley final, this time a Clásico against Real Madrid lay ahead) while leading 4-2 on aggregate with 72% of the tie played, Xavi’s hopes of keeping his job disappeared. Such are the vagaries of football management.

However, it’s the two survivors who should interest you.

Since that season, since knocking out the club he adores, at which he’s a socio (club member), and the club where he won 16 trophies as player and coach across 14 years, Luis Enrique is à la mode, as the French would say. He’s won nine of the 11 trophies available to PSG over two incredible years, including his second treble, and, as recently as last week, won the Ballon d’Or-Johan Cruyff Trophy 2025 as coach of the year by a landslide. But what subsequently went completely unnoticed is how much it cost him, and his family, to go through that 2024 ordeal of eliminating Barcelona from the Champions League.

I’m fortunate to count him as a friend and he was generous with his time, and our access, when, at that very moment, we were filming our “No Teneis Ni P— Idea” (“You Have No F—ing Idea”) documentary about him. A couple of days after Araújo was sent off in the second leg and PSG ran riot, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 aggregate win, we fulfilled a pre-agreed shoot with Luis Enrique in his office at PSG’s huge, modern and rather soulless Poissy campus. It’s a new build, it boasts fantastic facilities and it’s the HQ from which PSG planned, and effected, their thrilling all-out assault on European domination.

But it’s vast, it can feel like a cavernous, empty movie set. That gray afternoon, there were hardly any people about, the mood was somber and he simply told us the truth as he felt it then; times have changed, but this was a stark picture of a man’s affections divided and the cost of doing his job brilliantly.

That day, he told us: “I never want to have to face Barça again in the next 10 years. Not once! For my sake and for the family!”

He added: “It was ‘heavy’ for my family, for my friends, for me. Wow! Too much!”

The truth that emerged is that although he hails from the beautiful city of Gijón in the northern region of Asturias, Barcelona and its environs are his true home now and always will be. Moreover, the affection he and all his family hold for the Blaugrana club is deeply engrained.

Luis Enrique’s nearest family, his Catalan wife and two children, admitted that they were deeply conflicted about attending the second leg given their premonitions about it developing into a no-win situation. Get knocked out and it’s heartbreak for their husband and father, progress and there was bound to be a hangover feeling.

Enter stage right the other loser from that night: Araújo.

Luis Enrique and his PSG analysts identified the Uruguay international as good … but not good enough if the correct pressure points were pushed. In a scene that he allowed us to use in the documentary (the title of which the PSG fans used for the banner welcoming Luis Enrique back to Parc de Princes following his Ballon d’Or-Johan Cruyff Trophy win), he dictates to his players precisely how he wants them to isolate and then exploit Araujo’s weaknesses.

During the team meeting the night before the match at Montjuïc, the PSG coach told his players: “This gentleman is Araújo. A top-level footballer. No question. But the Barça player with the most problems.

“Every time the ball goes towards him, in whatever situation, while the ball’s still in movement we’re already closing his passing line and then pressing him. We let Araújo come out with the ball. Whenever he does that, we isolate him, and we press him.”

play

Robson: Dembélé fully deserved to win the Ballon d’OR

Stewart Robson praises Ousmane Dembélés character as he wins the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Video evidence showed that Araújo was eager to get on the ball, a wholehearted leader and defender, but deficient in his use of possession when pressed. Prone to getting rid, rather than remaining calm. So PSG closed down other passes for Marc-André ter Stegen and the rest of the home defenders, steered the ball to the Uruguayan’s feet, and then sprung the trap. It was brutal.

In less than half an hour, the prize arrived. Araújo, on the ball, unaware PSG had steered this into happening, was pressed and gifted a wayward pass to the PSG midfield, Bradley Barcola set off on a sprint toward Barça’s goalmouth and, then, a last-man foul from the harassed and no doubt embarrassed Uruguayan resulted. Free kick, red card and the balance of the entire tie tilted. Precisely as Luis Enrique had predicted.

Postmatch, Xavi lamented that competing 10 vs. 11 at that level, against a rival like PSG, was practically impossible. Luis Enrique deserves an NB (good note) here.

He also demonstrated to his obedient team that PSG could (would) easily score from the edge of the box because of how Barcelona defended (this also happened) and inspired the type of (rare) pressing from Kylian Mbappé that coaches, including Xabi Alonso at the moment, have tried in vain to draw from the brilliant striker. PSG romped home, and when they finally made things safe, at 4-1 with a minute left, Luis Enrique let out a little of the bottled-up emotion he was feeling.

The next day, in fact days, were full of nasty, venomous, studs-in vitriol from Catalan media and social media, including comments like: “That was Mourinho-style behavior,” “Neither Xavi nor Pep Guardiola would ever celebrate coaching a win against Barcelona like that” and “Disgraceful, a complete lack of respect.”

Disappointment often channels itself as anger and vitriol, but this was over the top and did damage. Araújo’s confidence and reputation were both badly hit and, ironically, it’s only really now that his importance to the team and self-belief have been fully restored.

On that dank, quiet, reflective afternoon in Poissy, Luis Enrique told us: “Those were two brutal weeks. For the family too … well everyone, naturally. Really hard, emotionally. We were burned out. I’m in pieces.

“Honestly, for me it would’ve been much easier playing against Madrid! Much! All of that, even though we won. I’d hate to think about if it had finished badly. No way. I’d rather not have played them.”

Now here he goes again. New rival in the Barça dugout, defending champion, injury-hit team but up against the club he (deep in his heart) feels strong emotion for. Not a knockout this time, granted, but loads and loads on the line. Emotions, pride and how he’s greeted by the Catalan fans and media, not least.