Fitzgerald trade intriguing but unlikely

• Is the prospect of the Cardinals actually trading star WR Larry Fitzgerald for a slew of draft picks more than just juicy talk-radio fodder in the desert these days? “It is pure speculation right now,” one team insider told PFW. “Larry will never talk about it, but it will be interesting to see if he actually does ask to be traded in the offseason. It’s conceivable, I guess. It all depends on which direction the organization decides to go. I would think it could really be hard to sell tickets without your top box-office draw. Plus, you’d be talking about a cap hit in the double-digit millions. Right now, it’s a hot topic on the airways that seems a lot less likely when you start to realistically look at the situation.”

• 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio considers himself to be a lucky man with all four of his linebackers locked up for at least three more seasons following the Nov. 27 signing of NaVorro Bowman to a five-year contract extension worth up to $45.25 million ($25.5 million guaranteed). “I think it speaks well for the organization that they’ve been able to do that in this age of the salary cap. And it’s not always easy to keep your good players together.” Fangio said. “Hopefully we can keep those guys together for a long time.”