Cardinals in Better Shape Than Most Think

Questions abound regarding the Arizona Cardinals and the likelihood that they can return to the Super Bowl next year, despite the loss of their two coordinators and concerns of starting players.

This is the NFL, and changes happen all the time, at the drop of a hat.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley has been hired as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, in Ron Rivera fashion, has been dismissed by head coach Ken Whisenhunt, saying that the team will be going in a “new direction.”

More uncertainty lies with Warner.

At 37 years old, would he be willing to retire? Anyone who knows Warner would say no. However, his contract will expire this offseason, making him a free agent. Any Super Bowl return rides heavily on the Cardinals re-signing Warner for the rest of his career. Reports indicate the Cardinals plan to offer a two-year contract.

But, what happens to Matt Leinart?

Surely, this former Heisman Trophy winner can not just be kept on the sidelines waiting for Warner to retire, a la Aaron Rodgers.

Reason? He will cost too much. When Leinart was drafted, he signed a six-year, $51 million contract. There is no way the Cardinals can afford to keep both quarterbacks.

Solution? Trade Leinart to Kansas City, Detroit, or any one of the many teams looking for a franchise quarterback.

The Detroit Lions had the opportunity to draft Leinart a few years ago.  Back then it looked like Leinart would fall right into their lap, but they opted for linebacker Ernie Sims instead. 

Now, this year, the Lions have a few extra draft picks to work with, since they traded Roy Williams to Dallas for a first, third, and sixth this past season. They could attach a quarterback to their second-round pick, or two third-round picks, get a young, franchise quarterback, and still have two first-round picks left, one being first overall.

Kansas City’s new head coach may be inclined to use the same offense he used in Arizona. If that happens, Leinart will already have a head start against Tyler Thigpen, Damon Huard, and Brodie Croyle. 

Thigpen can be used as bait, as the Chiefs can use Thigpen plus a second-round pick to land Leinart. Thigpen can spend a year or two in Arizona behind Warner, while he demonstrates if he can be a quarterback of the future or not.

But, what if it looks like Thigpen will not pan out as a quarterback? Would the Cardinals be hurting themselves in the long run?

Maybe not.

The 2010 NFL Draft will feature Colt McCoy, a Heisman Trophy finalist this past year, as well as Heisman Trophy winners Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow. Tebow’s drafting will be more anticipated than Reggie Bush, Ricky Williams, or even John Elway.

Not to mention any other college quarterback who will flash this next season. All three quarterbacks were eligible for the draft this year, but all decided to return to college to play their last year of eligibility, making them more NFL ready (thus Mark Sanchez’s early declaration).

Edgerrin James has already declared that he does not want to return to the Cardinals next year, after losing his starting role to rookie Tim Hightower. It seems that the Cardinals might not want James anyway. He had a stretch of eight games where he only carried the ball 11 times. He signed a lucrative deal to go to Arizona, but Arizona does not want to pay a running back five to six figures per carry.

James also could surface in Kansas City, as incumbent starter Larry Johnson has already declared he does not want to return to Kansas City either. If the Cardinals were to re-sign their free-agent running back J.J. Arrington to back up Hightower, they would likely not miss the overpaid James.

If worst comes to worst, and they do not have faith in only these two backs, they could draft a running back as late as the fourth or fifth round for insurance (Hightower himself is only a fifth-round pick). James, more than likely, will not get much in terms of a draft pick—a third-rounder at best.

The last big name surrounding the team is Anquan Boldin. Boldin has publicly stated that he does not believe his relationship with the Cardinals can be repaired—he did not get a long-term deal this year. 

He was seeking a deal like fellow teammate and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald received, a four-year, $40 million contract extension. Boldin, in contrast, has two years left on his contract worth about $6 million per year.

Fitzgerald has publicly stated he is willing to renegotiate his contract, to help keep Boldin with the Cardinals.

Nevertheless, the Cardinals should look to deal Boldin at this point. Everyone knows that any player’s value peaks after he has started in the Super Bowl. More than likely, Boldin’s trade value will never be higher than it is now, just like James.

The Cardinals can easily get a first-round pick for him. More than likely, they would be able to tack on a couple of third-round picks with it, similar to the Roy Williams trade.

But, won’t the Cardinals miss Boldin and have a big hole left in their receiving corps?  Not necessarily. Their third receiver, Steve Breaston, had 77 receptions this year for 1,006 yards. He filled in quite nicely when Boldin got hurt this past season.

On top of that, they stole Early Doucet in the third round last year. Complement them with Jerheme Urban, who had nearly 500 receiving yards as a fourth receiver this year, and the Cardinals look pretty solid at receiver.

If all else fails, they could look to trade up to land a stud receiver in the draft this year, like Michael Crabtree. But a good receiver, capable of contributing to the team, is always available in the second round, not to mention the second-to-last pick in the first round.

Wouldn’t it be hysterical if he was traded to Kansas City, and reunited with Todd Haley? Not unlikely, as they could use another receiver to complement their only notable receiver, Dwayne Bowe.

St. Louis is also a possibility, as Torry Holt has had public issues with the team, although they do have a new head coach.

This is all speculative at this point. Warner could retire, leaving the reins to Matt Leinart. Edgerrin James could simply be released, as is more likely, since every team knows he wants out, and will wait to get him for free. And who knows? Boldin may reconcile with the Cardinals and get the money that he wants.

All that is for certain is this: If the Cardinals want to, they could own the 2009 NFL Draft. Possibly six or seven picks in the first three rounds this year.