Arizona Cardinals News and Rumors from Pro Football Insider

Arizona Cardinals

Tuesday Sep 7th, 2010

The draft of 2006 was supposed to be a highly stocked draft... Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Leinart... now Young and Leinart are riding the pine with limited chance to get back on the field as a starter with the team that drafted him. Bush didn't find the NFL as easy to run through as he did in college. Young and Leinart each are behind veterans who just signed a two year deal to start for the Titans and Cardinals so neither of the youngsters appears to be getting on the field soon. If Leinart would have come out as a junior he may have been the #1 choice instead of Alex Smith, who for a number of reason is deciding if he wants to redo his deal and try and compete for starting spot but most likely be the backup as well. Not so easy for teams drafting high and investing a lot of money in these quarterbacks. Will the Lions see this or Matt Ryan? Is one of the tackles their future on the left side and a safer pick like Jake Long? Increasingly the top of the draft is looking for safety considering the money involved... The Arizona Cardinals have finally resigned QB Kurt Warner and paid a bigger price than they initially offered, the deal is for 2 years and $23 million but $19 million is guaranteed instead of the $10 million they originally offered. It is a $15 million signing bonus and $4 million per year so $19 mil in year one. Pathetic it took them this long to work this out and shows that even though they got it done they are still the same ole Cardinals. Now as for the 49ers who offered more money, whether or not it was a formal offer or verbal discussions of the terms... does it matter? Jim Trotter of SI.com made an ass of himself dressing down the 49ers for showing interest. He criticizing them for over spending in past years in free agency and then complains they didn't sign anyone this year... odd. Complains about overpaying #1 pick Alex Smith... every #1 pick is overpaid, so... didn't sign a true #1 receiver, is there one out there they missed... This is by no means an endorsement of everything they have done certainly, but just pointing out a stupid article. The 49ers drove up the price on a division rival. They will be fine at quarterback and almost beat the Cardinals in Arizona last year. If they would have both teams would have been 8-8 and that was with Shaun Hill at QB for the 49ers and Warner for the Cards. The Seahawks will be better this year as well, and the Rams will likely too, afterall how much worse can they get? They will be last but improved, the division will be closer and in the end the 49ers didn't harm anything in looking into Warner despite with the so called expert says... So Kurt Warner had a nice visit in San Francisco, but it didn't end with a signed contract. Warner is back in Arizona to decide what to do. Seems he still wants to stay with the Cardinals, but the 49ers certainly offered more money than the 2 year $20 million deal the Cards offered, or reports say it was really just a one year $10 million deal with an option for a second year at the same price, but no guarantees. Will the Cards up there offer, doubt if by much or they would have done it before he went. Will Warner take the money or take what he feels is an inferior offer? The wait begins and the intrigue builds... Continuing the overpaying of free agents, the Texans have signed former Cardinals DE Antonio Smith to a 5 year $35 million deal with $12.5 million guaranteed. Smith is solid and has good versatility to play end and tackle, but is not a $7 per million per year difference maker for the Texans. He will be a good contributor but in years to come the cost of the deal will affect the view of his play... The Giants have signed former Falcons LB Michael Boley to a 5 year $25 million deal. They are also pursuing Seahawks DT Rocky Bernard and Cowboys DE Chris Canty, who would play tackle for them. If they don't land one of them, Cardinals lineman Antonio Smith would be next. Their top priority is at defensive tackle as shown by their pursuit of Albert Haynesworth... So the 49ers are talking with Cardinals QB Kurt Warner.... would Kurt really leave the desert? The 49ers have the cap room and Kurt wants to play for one or two years so money won't be an issue, but is it a good move? We love the move! Shaun Hill did well to lead the team last year and certainly deserves more respect than he gets, but in stealing Warner the 49ers weaken the Cardinals chance in the division while strengthening theirs. The 49ers want to run the ball but to be able to pass when they need to and Warner is an improvement. Without Warner the Cardinals don't look so strong and the 49ers may over take them in the division. Remember the Cardinals before their playoff were the weakest playoff team and the 49ers nearly beat them in Arizona last year. The division is a tight race and this is the kind of move that could tilt the scales for the 49ers. Now take away the stealing a rivals QB part and the move isn't as wise. Shaun Hill can lead the team and compete with the Cards as is and the 49ers could spend the $12-$15 million better elsewhere, but there are no free agents out there that are going to greatly affect their chances while throwing a dagger into the division winner at the same time. Either way it will amp up this young rivalry. In the end Warner likely stays in Arizona and Shaun Hill starts for the 49ers with Alex Smith as the backup, but it's a fun story... The Denver Broncos are busy today. They have signed running backs Correll Buckhalter and J.J. Arrington to 4 year deals and signed former Patriots long snapper Lonie Paxton to a 5 year $5.3 million deal. Buckhalter and Arrington were backup for the Eagles and Cardinals last year but will be expected to combine to carry the load in Denver now...
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