I’m legendary NFL receiver Chiefs’ Andy Reid tried to sign 15 times but snubbed him and used my $75m earnings to invest in Kevin Durant’s Suns

Andy Reid has coached some of the greatest players of the modern era.

Kansas City Chiefs duo Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the standout two, who, along with Reid, are bidding for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat in 2025.

4

Kelce and Mahomes have defined Reid’s Chiefs tenureCredit: Getty
However, there’s one superstar talent who eluded ‘Big Red’ during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

That man? Arizona Cardinals legendary wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who reportedly snubbed Reid 15 times during his illustrious career.

“I’ve tried to hire Larry 15 different times man,” Reid said in a recent interview. “I begged him even when he was out for a year to come back. Come on.”

66-year-old Reid, the highest paid coach in the NFL, clearly holds Fitzgerald in high regard, and it’s not hard to see why.

The now 41-year-old receiver played 17 seasons in the National Football League, all for the Cards, posting nine seasons with 1,000+ yards.

His best individual season came in 2008 when he finished with 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns. He helped the Cardinals get all the way to Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers before they lost.

Fitzgerald is second in NFL career receiving yards, second in career receptions, and sixth in career receiving touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl eleven times and was named First-team All-Pro once in 2008.

By all accounts, the two-time receptions and receiving touchdowns leader is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, and the idea of him joining forces with a genius mind like Reid is one of the greatest ‘what ifs?’ of the past twenty years.

Fitzgerald, who is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2026, may not have won a Lombardi, but he did amass an impressive net worth of $75 million.

He signed an eight-year, $120 million contract with the Cardinals in 2011, and reportedly made $180 million from NFL salary alone.

4

Fitzgerald is one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL historyCredit: Getty

4

He came up short in the Super Bowl but still has a net worth of $75 millionCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Fitzgerald used some of that money to invest in himself post retirement, honoring his promise to his late mother to finish his education when he completed his undergraduate degree with the University of Phoenix.

He has turned his passion to see the world into a travel business that he operates, hosting trips for individuals in a number of areas around the world.

The former Arizona WR is an active venture investor, having invested in 40 to 50 companies, including California-based digital bank called Mercury.

The 2019 investment was part of a $20 million round that also included former Golden State Warriors stars Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.

Fitzgerald’s connection with Durant goes beyond that.

In 2020, he bought a minority stake in the NBA’s Phoenix Suns to become a partial team owner. At the time, he was only the second active NFL player, after Aaron Rodgers, to hold an ownership stake with a franchise in the NBA.

4

Fitzgerald is a minority owner in Durant’s SunsCredit: Getty
He became an advisor and resource for the Suns’ business and basketball staff, as well as be a player advisor for both the Suns and Phoenix Mercury, their WNBA franchise.

Fitzgerald retained his minority stake in the Suns when they were sold to Mat and Justin Ishbia in 2023 — the same year Durant joined the organization.

Later, Fitzgerald and Suns star Devin Booker became part owners in a new pickleball team, AZ Drive, formed as part of a 12-team expansion to Major League Pickleball.