Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has become the second active NFL player to own a share of an NBA team when he purchased a minority stake in the Phoenix Suns.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers owns a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.

Fitzgerald ranks second all time in NFL receiving yards and has been voted an All-Pro in 11 of his 16 seasons in the league. He is considered the greatest player in Cardinals history, breaking every major receiving record for the franchise.

Fitzgerald has built a strong relationship with Suns managing partner Robert Sarver over the years and has already taken on a significant role with the Suns as an ambassador, from sitting in on potential front-office candidate interviews to canvassing for Suns public arena vote.

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He has said he won’t take on an active role with the Suns until he retires from pro football.

“I have a special place in my heart for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, and I have a great deal of respect of Robert,” Fitzgerald said. “He has become a dear friend and trusted confidante. He is a big part of why I am making this commitment.”

Fitzgerald is a major philanthropic figure and as been engaged in many charitable foundations in the Phoenix area.

He was honored as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2016.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and PGA Tour Pro Kevin Streelman won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California on Sunday with a 12-under final round, winning by 7 strokes.

Larry Fitzgerald Pebble Beach highlights

Fitzgerald, 34, is the first African-American amateur to win the team title portion of the tournament and the seventh professional athlete to win it. Former NFL star Dan Marino last won at Pebble in 1988.

“It’s great, but I’m just hoping moving forward we don’t have to talk about color anymore,” he told reporters. “It’s just us as one as a people. Just to be here is an accomplishment. But that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Fitzgerald and his friend Streelman won wire-to-wire.

Streelman, 39, said the victory is “something that I will never forget. To win this with my buddy.”

In the main event, Streelman finished in sixth, just 4 strokes back of champion Ted Potter Jr. 

Fitzgerald continues to mull over his future in the NFL, and said at Super Bowl LII that he would make a decision on his playing future in the next “week or two.”

The receiver tied a career best last season with 109 catches. He also had 1,156 yards and six touchdown receptions. He is ranked third all-time in receptions (1,234) and yards receiving (15,545) and eighth in touchdown receptions (110).

Watch some highlights of Fitzgerald’s Pebble Beach outing here:

Filmmaker Clint Eastwood, whose new biographical film The 15:17 to Paris was released on Friday, was in attendance:

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 16: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals stiff arms strong safety Morgan Burnett #42 of the Green Bay Packers during overtime of the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 16, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers 26-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Larry Fitzgerald caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer as time expired Sunday to lift the Arizona Cardinals to an 18-15 overtime home victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Cardinals vs. 49ers Score

The 49ers are now 0-4 to sit at the bottom of the NFC West, while the Cardinals improved to 2-2 for third in the division.

Fitzgerald’s touchdown was the only one of the game. San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould opened the scoring with a 49-yard field goal at the 2:05 mark of the first quarter, then Phil Dawson tied it 3-3 with 13:07 remaining in the second quarter.

The two kickers alternated field goals until the end of regulation from then on.

Fans were overwhelmingly disappointed by the sluggish game, as both teams combined for just 673 yards (305 yards for the 49ers, who got inside the red zone three times). Nine of the ten final drives in regulation ended in punts.

The Cardinals were missing two starters on Sunday: left tackle D.J. Humphries and left guard Mike Iupati. 

The 49ers next visit the 1-3 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, when the Cardinals visit the 3-1 Philadelphia Eagles.

Arizona’s other victory this season came against the Andrew Luck-less Colts.

GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals makes the game winning catch in the end zone during overtime in the NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Larry Fitzgerald will return for a 14th season in the NFL.

Larry Fitzgerald back with cardinals For 2017 Season

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver told ESPN’s Jim Trotter and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport on Wednesday that he will play out the final year of his contract with the team.

Fitzgerald added he’s feeling “back to normal” physically.

“Some things that were killing me late in the year are feeling back to normal for me. That’s a relief. Also, my fire and desire to win and compete vs. the best still burns,” Fitzgerald told Rapoport. He had 107 catches and 1,023 yards in 2016 which lead the league in catches and finished 20th in total yards.

The 10-time Pro Bowler led the league in receptions this season with 107. He also leads active wideouts in career receptions with 1,125.

Fitzgerald, 33, ranks ninth in NFL career receiving yards with 14,389. Another 1,000-yard season would put him third behind Jerry Rice, with 22,895, and Terrell Owens, with 15,934.

Of course, another big question remaining for the Cardinals is whether quarterback Carson Palmer will also return.

“There’s a much more of a physical determination to be made for Carson Palmer,” Rapoport reported on Super Bowl Live on Thursday. “He wants to return and has said if he’s feeling OK physically, that he will be back. But from what understand, this was the most taxing season for him — really in his career. He got beat up, was dealing with several nagging injuries, he just did not feel great. And even, as of recently, was still struggling to feel like him old self.”

Coach Bruce Arians seems more relaxed now that he knows his top receiver will be back next season.

Speaking at the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, Arians sounded positive but added he hadn’t heard anything official regarding Fitzgerald and Palmer.

“It’s up to them,” Arians said. “I feel comfortable with where they are at and what’s going to happen. Like everyone, I have my fingers crossed. I think when the juices start flowing and the injuries go away, they’ll come back. But there is nothing to confirm yet.”

The Cardinals finished the 2016 season 7-8-1 and defeated the Los Angeles Rams 44-6 in their season finale.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 16: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals stiff arms strong safety Morgan Burnett #42 of the Green Bay Packers during overtime of the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 16, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Green Bay Packers 26-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald and Greg Olsen have been named the finalists for the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, given to the player who demonstrates the highest levels of commitment both on the field and in their communities.

Eli Manning, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Olsen Named Finalists For Walter Payton Award

The winner among the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, New York Giants quarterback and Carolina Panthers tight end will be announced on Feb. 4, the night before Super Bowl LI, at NFL Honors in Houston. The Associated Press individual NFL awards will also be given that night. The ceremony will air on FOX and will be hosted by actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key. 

“Larry, Eli and Greg are not only top-tier athletes, but also men of great character, integrity and generosity of spirit. Their passion for community and helping others is having a positive impact on countless individuals and communities, and it’s something we should all celebrate,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Sunday. “We commend these impressive men for setting the standard for NFL players and athletes nationwide.”

This is the second time in two years Manning is named a finalist for the prestigious award. The Giants QB lost the 2015 award to Detroit Lions receiver Anquan Boldin. Manning has always been very involved in his community, especially in founding the Eli and Abby Manning Children’s Clinic with his wife in Mississippi in 2007 and raising nearly $3 million since then. Manning also spearheads “Tackle Kids’ Cancer,” an initiative with Hackensack University Medical Center.

A total of $1 million will be donated in the name of the Man of the Year, with $500,000 going to a charity of his choice and the other half supporting the expansion of Character Playbook across all NFL markets.

The two runners-up will each receive a $125,000 donation to the charity of their choice, as well as a $125,000 donation in their names to expand Character Playbook, a digital learning initiative.

Fitzgerald’s foundation, the Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, has provided grants of more than $1 million to promote reading and technology access for students K-12 and to support efforts to prevent and cure breast cancer survivors. Fitzgerald also promotes economic development in Africa.

For Olsen, charitable deeds have a personal origin. In 2009, after witnessing his mother tackle and survive breast cancer, Olsen founded Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation, a program has distributed over $520,000 to six hospitals and foundations. In 2013, Olsen and his wife Kara founded the HEARTest Yard Fund after a routine examination of their unborn son, T.J., revealed the infant had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).

PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 04: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants drops back to pass in the first quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 4, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

It seems like the most popular athlete in Arizona officially got his contract: for quite some time, many have been wondering whether Larry Fitzgerald would return to the Arizona Cardinals. The longtime superstar with over 10,000 receiving yards and 89 touchdowns saw his numbers waver last year: he had his lowest receiving yards since his rookie season (784) and only caught two TD passes. Still, he remains the Cardinals all-time leader in almost every single receiving category.

However, Fitzgerald was walking into 2015 with a huge cap hit on the Cardinals: despite their amazing run, Arizona needs the money to address weak areas through free agency and the draft. He was supposed to earn $16.25 million in 2015, with a cap hit of $23.6 million. In the restructured deal, both Cards GM Steve Kaim and Fitzgerald worked together to give the Cards the best opportunity to succeed: while the actual numbers have not been disclosed, it at least guarantees $22 million to the franchise receiver over the next two years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrVCWddQHN8

“Once we decided to really put the foot on the gas pedal the last week or so, we were able to get the deal done pretty quickly,” said the GM. “The two biggest goals for us were pretty simple — number one to compensate Larry for the type of player, the type of talent that he is and the leader that he is; and essentially clearing up enough salary-cap space for us moving forward to be able to be aggressive and proactive when free agency starts.”

After one spectacular run and many average years under Ken Whisenhunt, the Cards have been revitalized under Bruce Arians. In the harsh NFC West, the team has a 21-11 record over the last two seasons — in 2013 they slightly missed the playoffs despite winning ten games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5BLh-SlkO8

Still, Arizona has to deal with several key issues: they desperately need a running back and an interior offensive lineman. On top of this, they hope Carson Palmer lives up to his big contract after injuries kept him sidelined for most of 2014 — how good Larry has been without a proper QB over the years is a testament to his worth.

In the end, the added money from this deal can only give Arians more tools to further push this very talented team. Depending on their free agency push, the Cards could emerge an early favorite for next year’s Super Bowl.