The San Francisco Treat: Kurt Warner's Gold Rush

The Associated Press reports that Kurt Warner is getting the private jet treatment by the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco seems serious but Arizona’s interest is quite serious as well; the Cards have an offer on the table for two years at $20 million. Kurt’s interested in two years for $28 million.

For Arizona, life without Kurt Warner means life with Matt Leinart, which isn’t horrible. In San Francisco, life without Kurt Warner looks pretty awful even though Shawn Hill relished in new coach Mike Singletary’s system. You can expect that San Francisco to make every effort to rip Warner away from their division rivals and forseeably lock the NFC West before camp breaks.

Warner wants Matt Cassel money, $14 million per year, the amount that New England would have had to pay if they kept Cassel. This number is a reflection of the franchise tag tool, which guarantees that a player will make as much as the fifth-highest paid player at that position.

So at 38 years old, will Warner be the fifth-best quarterback in the NFL for two years?

Wasn’t he a backup a couple years ago?

For San Francisco, the investment seems to go beyond what Kurt Warner can do on the field. Critics of the 49ers offense seem to recognize that they have all the talent in the world, except at quarterback. They could spend a draft pick on a QB without instant expectations, and slide him in right under Warner’s tutelage. He would not only be a great mentor but he would also infuse the Bay area with some promise.

Raider fans might even watch.

So the private jet treatment gets afforded to Warner, he’s passed a physical and the negotiations have started.

For a guy who got a second chance at an NFL career, and at age 38, he’s got one final chance to get a solid contract, and you can believe that if he gets anywhere near two years for $28 million, he might consider flying Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald on their own private jets for quite some time.