Arizona Sign Kurt Warner: 2 Years, $23 Million

by John Morgan on Mar 4, 2009 11:48 AM PST

Warner is now signed through his age 39 season. However good Warner was in 2008, and he was very good, precipitous decline is any snap away and incremental decline is every snap away. He's still a great quarterback. Arizona must make sure their line can keep him that way.

The next step, presumably, is to trade Matt Leinart. Leinart is signed through 2011 and has made some noise about being traded. He's a Buc. It makes too much sense for him to land anywhere else. Tampa has a ton of cap room to absorb Leinart's rather reasonable contract (counting $2.6 million against the cap in 2009 and $4.0 million in 2010) and no quarterback to speak of. Tampa could even restructure his deal, front loading it while simultaneously making it easier to cut him should he struggle.

Arizona keeps its Super Bowl quarterback and adds something like a second round pick. Not bad.

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Comments

Something made me want to see him a 49er

by jacobstevens on Mar 4, 2009 12:00 PM PST reply actions

Ahh.

Makes sense. Maybe the Vikes wish they’d been more patient, though they had targeted Sage for awhile. I’d rather have Leinart..

by Misfit74 on Mar 4, 2009 12:12 PM PST reply actions

A 2nd for Leinart?

For what? He hasn’t shown squat.

by djafrot on Mar 4, 2009 12:31 PM PST reply actions

He hasn't played that poorly

He’s a former top prospect and is very cheap.

by John Morgan on Mar 4, 2009 12:40 PM PST up reply actions

would you even consider him...

for the Hawks? I wouldn’t do it for a 2nd where our 2nd is, but I would gladly have him be our development backup guy…

Am I alone in this thought process?

I'm kinda sad Shanahan is gone... I liked the Donkeys being 8-8 every year...

by Tyler Jorgensen on Mar 4, 2009 12:48 PM PST up reply actions

I don't think

that Arizona would be keen on helping our future QB situation.

by Misfit74 on Mar 4, 2009 12:52 PM PST up reply actions

Arizona won't trade with Seattle and Leinart doesn't want to sit behind a different veteran quarterback.

by John Morgan on Mar 4, 2009 1:06 PM PST up reply actions

2nd seems totally reasonable to me.

What do you think Quinn is going for? Probably about the same, no?

by LantermanC on Mar 4, 2009 12:56 PM PST up reply actions

Maybe it's just me but

I’d trust Quinn a lot more than Leinert if I were a team looking for a new QB. Leinert has had plenty of opportunities and failed. Quinn has shown more promise to me, is younger, and is probably cheaper. But that’s without any kind of real in-depth analysis.

by Fear on Mar 4, 2009 1:10 PM PST up reply actions

I'd love to see us trade for Quinn

"It's just one big guy against another big guy, both teams know what's at stake. The one of them comes out on top and it feels good."
-Chris Collinsworth, Madden 09

by Wayward Llama on Mar 4, 2009 2:09 PM PST up reply actions

But Quinn really should have been allowed to compete for the starting job in Cleveland.

If he has a competitive bone in his body he won’t take lightly to prolonging his career as a starter even further behind Hasselbeck.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on Mar 4, 2009 8:15 PM PST up reply actions

I wouldn't exactly call a 2nd very cheap

And I’d think a QB rating of 71.7 is pretty bad. Shit, Seneca Wallace’s is 83.4, and I don’t see anyone bandying up a 2nd for him. That doesn’t even factor in Arizona’s plethora of talent.

If anyone gives up a 2nd for this kid, ugh. Maybe his college record and draft status show he deserves it, but nothing I’ve seen out of him in the NFL (on or off the field) show it.

by djafrot on Mar 4, 2009 2:40 PM PST up reply actions

Peyton Manning's quarterback rating after 575 attempts: 71.2

Cheap refers to his cap number.

by John Morgan on Mar 4, 2009 4:09 PM PST up reply actions

Aha... but that was all in one season

His rating the next year was 90.7. And he played against much better teams, I think.

Leinart has had three years to learn the Arizona offense and has yet to win the starting job.

I’m not saying he’s guaranteed to be terrible, but I’d really be surprised if someone gives up a 2nd rounder to Arizona.

by djafrot on Mar 5, 2009 1:08 AM PST up reply actions

I'd bet a 3rd

by Nick Andron on Mar 4, 2009 12:44 PM PST reply actions

I disagree

They need an insurance policy for that old codger. No way Leinart’s traded.

by stallz on Mar 4, 2009 1:41 PM PST reply actions

Insurance policy? yes.

Young, unproven QB who’s already sat for 3 years without much opportunity and is unwilling to sit for another 2? No.

by LantermanC on Mar 4, 2009 2:11 PM PST up reply actions

he might

so long as those 2 years include many keg stands with underage girls, not being the starting quarterback would give him just that

by B.B.Finnegan on Mar 4, 2009 2:21 PM PST up reply actions

He's had plenty of opportunity

He just happened to blow it. He won’t have a choice but to sit and wait, and after Warner retires after, or gets injured during, 2009, Matty Pants Leinart and his Laguna Beach posse will be slinging pigskin in ‘Zona again. Maybe he’ll be just as mediocre as he was before, too.

by stallz on Mar 4, 2009 2:49 PM PST up reply actions

The Cardinals didn't give Warner $23 Million

and think he’d fall apart after half a season (although that wouldn’t surprise me one bit). Leinert has been sitting on the bench too long; if the Cards don’t trade him now (while he has some value) other teams will just wait until he’s finally cut/becomes a free agent.

If the Cards do trade Leinert, they MUST draft a QB this season. Warner’s old, remember?

by J.L. White on Mar 4, 2009 2:22 PM PST up reply actions