From Somers;
Contract talks on Cards' horizon
A two-game winning streak and a .500 record in November is pretty heady stuff for the Cardinals, who are accustomed to making off-season plans by now. While he is happy about his team's improvement, coach Ken Whisenhunt knows you don't throw a party in Blythe when Disneyland's the destination.
A coach's job is to focus on the highway's center line and get his team safely to the next stop. What's on the horizon is a concern for the guys down the hall who wear ties to work.
And they have plenty to occupy themselves.
A number of challenges await General Manager Rod Graves and his staff.
First, Graves wants to extend the contracts of linebackers Karlos Dansby and Calvin Pace. There hasn't been much, if any, movement in either case.
Dansby's agent, Kirk Wood, was in town Monday and Tuesday, but it was more of a courtesy call than anything else. He met with Graves and Whisenhunt on Tuesday and said the two sides will continue to talk through the rest of the season.
It's clear, however, that Wood doesn't appear in a rush to get a deal done now.
He has talked with the Cardinals since the beginning of the year about a new contract for Dansby. The team showed cursory interest until last month because it had concerns about Dansby's durability and willingness to play through nagging injuries.
Complicating the situation is the possibility the Cardinals could place the franchise tag on Dansby, severely limiting his options in free agency next spring.
Keeping Pace?
Meanwhile, the Cardinals and Pace's agent, Pat Dye Jr., remain curious about Pace's value. He's a hybrid outside linebacker and defensive end who has played well in 10 starts this year. Still, it's only 10 starts, and ascertaining Pace's exact value is a challenge.
Is he a pass-rushing defensive end? A strong side outside linebacker? It might take a few more weeks for the two sides to sort that out and pay him accordingly.
Even if those two deals are reached by the end of the year, Graves has more work ahead.
There is a good chance receiver Larry Fitzgerald will meet incentives clauses that will boost his 2008 salary in excess of $14 million. That's an untenable number for the Cardinals to fit under the cap, so they would like to extend Fitzgerald's current deal, which is set to expire in 2009.
Fitzgerald's base salary for 2008 is $1.089 million. But that will increase by $8.5 million because of bonuses: a $3.5 million incentive based on playing time and performance and a $5 million boost for making the Pro Bowl in 2005.
By meeting those goals, Fitzgerald could qualify for an additional $5 million bump. To earn that he needs either to be ranked in the top five in receptions over two consecutive seasons (2004 through '07) or be selected to the original ballot for the Pro Bowl this year.
The receptions clause will be hard to meet, because Fitzgerald missed three games in 2006 and finished with 69 catches. But barring injury, Fitzgerald could well make the Pro Bowl this year. He leads the NFC in receptions and is second in yardage.
If he earns that bonus, Fitzgerald's salary will increase to about $14.6 million.
Fitzgerald's agent, Eugene Parker, did not return phone calls, and Graves said addressing Fitzgerald's contract will be a priority.
"Obviously, he's under contract for two more years, but it will be our focus to try and get his number down to a more manageable number," Graves said.
But wait, there's more
The renegotiations might not end there.
Graves has done an admirable job in recent years of re-signing the team's more talented players, including receiver Anquan Boldin, safety Adrian Wilson and Darnell Dockett.
But the salary cap has increased $30 million since Wilson and Boldin re-signed in 2004 and 2005. Player salaries have escalated, and it's hard to imagine their agents won't be inquiring about new deals.
Graves had no comment about that, but he did say his off-season priority is keeping the Cardinals' core of players together.
"Ultimately, what it means for us is that we won't be as active (in free agency) as we've been last year and the previous year, simply because our focus is on trying to address our core," he said.
Taking care of everyone probably won't be possible this year. Fitting new deals for Dansby, Pace, Fitzgerald, Boldin and Wilson under the cap would take some grease and a shoe horn. In terms of dollars spent on actual bonuses, it's unlikely the Cardinals would spend that much in one year.
Those problems are a dot on the horizon now but will grow much larger in the months to come.
Contract talks on Cards' horizon
A two-game winning streak and a .500 record in November is pretty heady stuff for the Cardinals, who are accustomed to making off-season plans by now. While he is happy about his team's improvement, coach Ken Whisenhunt knows you don't throw a party in Blythe when Disneyland's the destination.
A coach's job is to focus on the highway's center line and get his team safely to the next stop. What's on the horizon is a concern for the guys down the hall who wear ties to work.
And they have plenty to occupy themselves.
A number of challenges await General Manager Rod Graves and his staff.
First, Graves wants to extend the contracts of linebackers Karlos Dansby and Calvin Pace. There hasn't been much, if any, movement in either case.
Dansby's agent, Kirk Wood, was in town Monday and Tuesday, but it was more of a courtesy call than anything else. He met with Graves and Whisenhunt on Tuesday and said the two sides will continue to talk through the rest of the season.
It's clear, however, that Wood doesn't appear in a rush to get a deal done now.
He has talked with the Cardinals since the beginning of the year about a new contract for Dansby. The team showed cursory interest until last month because it had concerns about Dansby's durability and willingness to play through nagging injuries.
Complicating the situation is the possibility the Cardinals could place the franchise tag on Dansby, severely limiting his options in free agency next spring.
Keeping Pace?
Meanwhile, the Cardinals and Pace's agent, Pat Dye Jr., remain curious about Pace's value. He's a hybrid outside linebacker and defensive end who has played well in 10 starts this year. Still, it's only 10 starts, and ascertaining Pace's exact value is a challenge.
Is he a pass-rushing defensive end? A strong side outside linebacker? It might take a few more weeks for the two sides to sort that out and pay him accordingly.
Even if those two deals are reached by the end of the year, Graves has more work ahead.
There is a good chance receiver Larry Fitzgerald will meet incentives clauses that will boost his 2008 salary in excess of $14 million. That's an untenable number for the Cardinals to fit under the cap, so they would like to extend Fitzgerald's current deal, which is set to expire in 2009.
Fitzgerald's base salary for 2008 is $1.089 million. But that will increase by $8.5 million because of bonuses: a $3.5 million incentive based on playing time and performance and a $5 million boost for making the Pro Bowl in 2005.
By meeting those goals, Fitzgerald could qualify for an additional $5 million bump. To earn that he needs either to be ranked in the top five in receptions over two consecutive seasons (2004 through '07) or be selected to the original ballot for the Pro Bowl this year.
The receptions clause will be hard to meet, because Fitzgerald missed three games in 2006 and finished with 69 catches. But barring injury, Fitzgerald could well make the Pro Bowl this year. He leads the NFC in receptions and is second in yardage.
If he earns that bonus, Fitzgerald's salary will increase to about $14.6 million.
Fitzgerald's agent, Eugene Parker, did not return phone calls, and Graves said addressing Fitzgerald's contract will be a priority.
"Obviously, he's under contract for two more years, but it will be our focus to try and get his number down to a more manageable number," Graves said.
But wait, there's more
The renegotiations might not end there.
Graves has done an admirable job in recent years of re-signing the team's more talented players, including receiver Anquan Boldin, safety Adrian Wilson and Darnell Dockett.
But the salary cap has increased $30 million since Wilson and Boldin re-signed in 2004 and 2005. Player salaries have escalated, and it's hard to imagine their agents won't be inquiring about new deals.
Graves had no comment about that, but he did say his off-season priority is keeping the Cardinals' core of players together.
"Ultimately, what it means for us is that we won't be as active (in free agency) as we've been last year and the previous year, simply because our focus is on trying to address our core," he said.
Taking care of everyone probably won't be possible this year. Fitting new deals for Dansby, Pace, Fitzgerald, Boldin and Wilson under the cap would take some grease and a shoe horn. In terms of dollars spent on actual bonuses, it's unlikely the Cardinals would spend that much in one year.
Those problems are a dot on the horizon now but will grow much larger in the months to come.
