Cards to talk with James
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 11, 2006 12:00 AM
The Cardinals reportedly have reversed field and decided to pursue an elite running back in free agency after all.
In an interview Friday morning with KGME-AM (910), Jay Glazer of Foxsports.com said Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James and agent Drew Rosenhaus are scheduled to visit the Cardinals today, the opening day of free agency.
Rosenhaus declined comment Friday morning. League rules forbid team officials from talking to players and their agents before the start of free agency, although nearly every team in the league does it anyway.
If the report is true, it's a departure in philosophy for the Cardinals. Both coach Dennis Green and Vice President for Football Operations Rod Graves have said the team wasn't likely to pursue free agents at the top of the market.
That would include James, 27, who has twice led the NFL in rushing and is considered the best running back in free agency.
James played last year under the "franchise" designation, which paid him $9.1 million. In early February, James said he expected to play elsewhere in 2006, as the Colts made re-signing receiver Reggie Wayne a priority.
That deal is done. Without the recent extension of the collective bargaining agreement, it was questionable if the Colts had the cap space to re-sign James and extend the contract of defensive end Dwight Freeney.
The extension of the CBA, approved by owners this week, could help the Colts keep James. The new salary cap is $102 million, a $7.5 million increase over what it would have been without an extension. That makes it easier for the Colts to re-sign James.
The added cap room also apparently has convinced the Cardinals to pursue free agents at the top of the market.
"It allows us to take a look at more guys than we would under the pre-existing situation," Graves said Friday. "Our target list has expanded. That's about as much as I'll say about it."
The market appears to be set for elite running backs. Seattle re-signed Shaun Alexander earlier this week to an eight-year, $62 million deal.
That $62 million figure is a mirage, however, because Alexander is likely to earn just a fraction of it. The Seahawks could cut Alexander after three years and take a minimal hit to the salary cap.
The real numbers to pay attention to are in the first three years of the deal. Alexander received an $11.5 million signing bonus. The three-year value of the contract is $23 million, and the four-year value is $28.6 million. Alexander's cap figure is $6.5 million in 2006 and increases less than $1 million in the first three years of the deal.
The Cardinals have plenty of cap space to make a similar deal work. They're believed to be about $28 million under, and even budgeting for rookie salaries, possible contract extensions and to cover injuries, they should have around $18 million of space to use for free agency.
In addition, the new CBA allows teams to prorate signing bonuses over six years, lessening the salary-cap impact of new contracts.
