The 2008 NFL Season has apparently rejuvenated Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner.
“Kurt’s and my approach has been, ‘Let’s enjoy the moment,’ ” Bartelstein said. “Kurt does not want to be a distraction in any way with his contract. That’s not his personality.”
Warner, 37, is in the last season of a three-year deal worth $15 million, not including incentives.
Warner leads the league in quarterback rating (105.1) and completion percentage (70.9). He is second in yards (3,155) and touchdowns (20). More important, the Cardinals are 7-3 and could clinch the NFC West title this weekend.
Clearly, it’s going to cost the Cardinals more to sign Warner now than it would have last summer, probably in the range of $8 million to $12 million a year.
There is plenty of incentive for both sides to reach a deal. The Cardinals are still optimistic about Leinart’s future, but there will be a learning curve to endure if and when he be becomes a starter. With Warner playing the way he is now, the Cardinals will continue to be a force in the NFC.
Warner knows, too, that he has found a place that suits him both professionally and personally. Not every team would give him the freedom and responsibility that the Cardinals have. And he’s not eager anxious to uproot his family to start all over again in a new city.
I was wrong about Warner when I wrote this summer that the Cards were likely to sink with him at quarterback. He’s been one of the best surprises in 2008 and if he continues to play the way he has, there’s no reason to believe he can’t compete for another couple of years.
But what do you do with Matt Leinart?
