There is the $50,000 winners share and the all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii, of course, but if you are Larry Fitzgerald, there is a lot more to look forward to when the Pro Bowl rolls around.

It is the one time each year the Arizona Cardinals receiver gets to work with real, spiral-spinning NFL quarterbacks.

After the frustrations of a regular season spent with four starting quarterbacks — Ryan Lindley, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Brian Hoyer — who wouldn’t look forward to playing catch with the cream of the QBs — Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Russell Wilson?

After being one of the NFL’s elite receivers and watching passes sail over your head or thrown behind you, or just plain being hung out to dry over the middle, who wouldn’t relish well-placed passes and a quarterback’s deft touch?

In the four seasons since Kurt Warner left the Cardinals — and surely it seems much longer — it doesn’t get much better than this for Fitzgerald, which is why an afternoon at Aloha Stadium seems to bring out the best in him.

Sunday it was six passes and another touchdown — a Pro Bowl career-record eighth TD — for Fitzgerald in the NFC’s 62-35 victory over the NFC.

Fitzgerald has scored 48 points in his Pro Bowl career, the most by a non-kicker, and Sunday’s six, courtesy of Seattle rookie Russell Wilson, were a reminder of just how much fun it can be. Earlier he had hauled in passes from Brees, the NFC starter, and Manning.

Wilson scrambled away from the rush in the third quarter before finding Fitzgerald for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

"He (Wilson) found me in the back on a scramble play, which was a real good play on his part," Fitzgerald said. "I had a lot of fun watching him play this year and it has been a pleasure to spend time around him and work with him here."

IT WAS A PLEASURE Fitzgerald very nearly missed out on because of the Cardinals’ offensive turmoil and impotence. With the quarterback roulette, a weak offensive line and lack of another top-flight receiving threat, his numbers fell to 71 receptions, 798 yards and but four touchdowns this season, a far cry from the 97 catches, 1,092 yards and 13 TDs in Warner’s final season.

"I don’t know if I deserved to be here this year," said Fitzgerald, who was an alternate and made the trip only when Brandon Marshall pulled out with an injury. But once he got here he knew what he was after.

"He told me, ‘Russ, you’ve got to throw me one so I can get the record,’ so I made sure I got him one," Wilson said. "After he caught it — and he made a great play — we both looked at each other. I knew it meant a lot to him."

Fitzgerald said he sees promise in the Cardinals’ hiring of Bruce Arians as its head coach and is optimistic about Arizona’s future. But, if things don’t work out, there is always the Pro Bowl to look forward to.

As Fitzgerald says, "It is always nice to be here."

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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.