NFL News: Fitzgerald’s return helps Cards’ QB search

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s announcement that he is returning for his 15th season and a healthy David Johnson could entice a quarterback to come to the desert, according to Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim.

“I don’t think it will impact the search part of it, but I do think it will impact the recruitment part of it if, in fact, it’s through free agency,” Keim said on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

“I mean there’s no doubt that Larry Fitzgerald’s name and his reputation carry a lot of weight, so we will certainly — if we go down that path — use Larry and David Johnson and all the other current stars that are on our roster to try to make sure that any potential franchise quarterback understands that this is a special place.”

The Cardinals find themselves looking for a quarterback after Carson Palmer announced his retirement last month. The 38-year-old Palmer was named to the Pro Bowl three times, but his 2017 season was cut short by a broken arm that limited him to seven games.

–The Philadelphia Eagles gave guard Stefen Wisniewski a $250,000 bonus for the 2018 season after he narrowly missed out on an incentive for the same amount in 2017, according to a report.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the Eagles’ decision, and noted that their generosity comes at a cost as they lost out on $125,000 in cap space.

Wisniewski, who took over the starting job of Isaac Seumalo, just missed an incentive based on playing time this past season. He appeared in 14 regular-season games and worked through an ankle injury in all three of the Eagles’ postseason contests.

The 28-year-old made $775,000 in base salary and $583,333 with a signing bonus last season.

–Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was cheered in his first public appearance in the Steel City since the team released him in December.

Harrison, who has since joined the New England Patriots, attended the “Shear Da Beard” charity event hosted by Steelers defensive lineman Brett Keisel. All proceeds for the event support the cancer programs at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

The Steelers’ all-time sacks leader heard it from the fans in attendance as he walked on the stage to shave part of Keisel’s considerable beard. Harrison did not speak before leaving the stage.

The 39-year-old Harrison requested a release from the Steelers over a lack of playing time and initially caught heat from the fans after signing with the rival Patriots, who were thought to be on a collision course with the home team in the playoffs. Pittsburgh, however, was upended by the Jacksonville Jaguars during the AFC divisional round.

–Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson stood by his comments of calling the New England Patriots a “fear-based organization” during a return appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast.

“Here’s the whole deal,” Johnson said. “I think a lot of guys just want to be happy playing football. … The Patriots obviously won five Super Bowls, so it’s the Patriot Way to win the Super Bowl. Does that mean that everybody has to act the same way? Do the same thing? Is that necessarily the guidelines to win the Super Bowl?”

In his initial interview, Johnson ruffled a lot of feathers by saying that he’d “much rather have fun and win a Super Bowl than be miserable and win five Super Bowls.”

Several former Patriots — including ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi — took issue with Johnson’s comments, which were made a few days after the Eagles posted a 41-33 win over New England in Super Bowl LII.

–The newest member of the Legion of Boom is speaking out on the future of the group. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin is the only guaranteed starter expected to return to the Seahawks’ secondary in 2018.

After all, Kam Chancellor’s future is in doubt as he nurses a neck injury. Fellow safety Earl Thomas has threatened a holdout if he doesn’t receive a contract extension and cornerback Richard Sherman is rehabilitating from an Achilles injury.

“Right now (the group’s future) is kind of in the air, but trust me, the Legion of Boom will never go away,” the 22-year-old Griffin said. “The thing is these are the guys who created the Legion of Boom. We all know that. But just because they might not be here or they’re not coming back, the Legion of Boom is not over.

“This is a legacy that they created for young guys to come and take over. Trust me, we’ve got some great younger guys that are ready to compete and are ready to play ball. The Legion of Boom is never going to be over, but of course we want those guys back, because those are the originals.”

–DeAngelo Hall said he would welcome back fellow Washington Redskins safety Su’a Cravens, but there’s still an element of trust that needs to be addressed.

The NFL granted Cravens his request for reinstatement earlier this week. The Redskins had placed the 22-year-old Cravens on the reserve/left squad list in September after leaving the team, which left him ineligible to play for the entire season.

Cravens told the Redskins he was considering retirement but never announced that his career was over.

“I definitely think there’s room for Su’a on this roster, but he has to prove to the guys in that locker room that he’s here for the right reasons, you know what I mean, and he wants to fight with them and he wants to go to battle,” Hall said in an interview with Washington’s 106.7 The Fan, via CBS DC.

–The Miami Dolphins joined the many that have donated in the wake of a shooting this week that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

In addition to the organization donating $100,000 to a school victims’ fund set up by the Broward County Education Fund, Dolphins special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi presented a check for $17,500 to the family of Aaron Feis.

Feis was an assistant football coach at the high school who died while protecting students during Wednesday’s shooting.

Rizzi, who had been acquainted with Feis, had organized a collection among Dolphins coaches and employees, according to the Sun Sentinel.