Larry Fitzgerald feared for his life during COVID-19 battle

Larry Fitzgerald said he was so shaken by his recent bout with COVID-19 that he updated his will.

So no, wondering when he would get back on the field for the Cardinals was not a pressing concern for the future Hall of Fame wide receiver during his quarantine.

"It was more the immediate future like staying alive and things of that nature," Fitzgerald told reporters on Thursday in his first remarks since missing two games and returning to the active roster.

He is expected to play on Sunday against the Giants, though. After losing nine pounds and returning from the long layoff, Fitzgerald said he is unsure how much he will be able to contribute. He did, however, say that the down time allowed him to heal the minor ailments that a 37-year-old can accumulate during an NFL season, and that he feels the "best I’ve ever felt."

"I think it's huge to have him back out there," quarterback Kyler Murray said. "Obviously the leadership he brings, everybody feels a lot more comfortable out there too. So I'm definitely glad to have him back out there."

Despite those dark times he said he went through – "You're sitting at home and you're watching TV and you see the cases and you see the deaths across the nation and all these things are running through your mind and obviously you worry," he said – Fitzgerald said he is glad to be back for a team that has lost three straight.

"It’s a pretty helpless feeling to sit there on your couch and not be able to do anything," he said. "I hope that I can bring some added energy and do something to help our team be able to get back in the winner's circle."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.