Fitz Deal: 4 years, $40 million (Done!!!)

[Capital Card]

If his contract is up in 2011 then it would only be a 3 year deal. if it is 4 it should rune through 2012 and be over heading into 2013.

4 year contract = 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

 

[Shane]

4 year contract = 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Yea I got that and trout slapped myself.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

NFL Network has now chimed in; confirming earlier reports.

 

[Shogun]

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[BigShtank]

When I'm right, damn I'm right. I told you all that he wasn't going to be traded and that one of two things would happen, a 5 year compromise or the Cards cave in. I thought the 5 year deal would happen, but knew the Cards would cave if they had to.

Thank god this is done, now on to draft talk.

 

[HookemCards]

11million $ per year finesse recievers just are not part of power running teams. Take it how you want. I would prefer guys who stretc the field and guys who block.

For the millionth time, I like Fitz, I just dont like the thought of spending money like that on a reciever. We have been a good to great passing team for as long as I have been alive. We have almost always sucked ass at running the ball. What have those things brought us???? I was open to change.

Depending on the structure of the deal, its probably not an $11 mil cap hit. Remember Parker wanted a 4 year deal with a high 4th year so that the Cards would restructure after 3. Theoretically, and I don't know what the contract looks like but it could be 30 mil SB, and salaries of 1 mil, 1 mil, 1 mil and 7 mil. for an 8.5 mil hit, still alot, but alot easier to swallow.

 

[HoodieBets]

Glad he signed but the deal kinda sucks. Four years so we can go through this again two years from now and now boldin, dansby, and AW will all know the cards will cave on contracts so this gets us nowhere fast.

I love that this can stopped being talked about but a bad business move.

 

[Shane]

Depending on the structure of the deal, its probably not an $11 mil cap hit. Remember Parker wanted a 4 year deal with a high 4th year so that the Cards would restructure after 3. Theoretically, and I don't know what the contract looks like but it could be 30 mil SB, and salaries of 1 mil, 1 mil, 1 mil and 7 mil. for an 8.5 mil hit, still alot, but alot easier to swallow.

Fitz stated hes getting 33 million in the first 3 years. Sounds like 11 mill per to me.

 

[Capital Card]

Yea I got that and trout slapped myself.

By the time I read to the bottom of the page, a bunch of people responded. I should have known better.
Sorry for the repeat post.

Go Cards!!!

 

[NuttinButTDs]

This looks like his cap hit would be 2 mil salary + a pro-rated bonus of 3.75. That would clear more than 8 million in cap space.

In 2008 he will get $17 million $15 is guaranteed if the Cardinals released him after 2008 season he would become a unrestricted free agent, he also has a no trade clause with-out his consent. Cardinals Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves and Larry's agent

Not sure if this means that the cap is 15M in 2008. This does not make sense. Did Graves use up the money in order to save for next year. ?????

 

[Shane]

By the time I read to the bottom of the page, a bunch of people responded. I should have known better.
Sorry for the repeat post.

Go Cards!!!

All good bro!

 

[Shane]

In 2008 he will get $17 million $15 is guaranteed if the Cardinals released him after 2008 season he would become a unrestricted free agent, he also has a no trade clause with-out his consent. Cardinals Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves and Larry's agent

Not sure if this means that the cap is 15M in 2008. This does not make sense. Did Graves use up the money in order to save for next year. ?????

Tha wouldnt make sense at all becaus eit would give us ZERO cap relief.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Sweet.

 

[football karma]

In 2008 he will get $17 million $15 is guaranteed if the Cardinals released him after 2008 season he would become a unrestricted free agent, he also has a no trade clause with-out his consent. Cardinals Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves and Larry's agent

Not sure if this means that the cap is 15M in 2008. This does not make sense. Did Graves use up the money in order to save for next year. ?????

I think what that means is that he gets a $15 mm signing bonus immediately and $2 mm in salary.

He probably gets a series of roster bonuses in the out years (that total $18mm, or $6 mm a year for 2009, 2010 and 2011) plus salary.

What remains to be seen is if the 2011 year has a "cut me" salary attached to it or not.

 

[NuttinButTDs]

I think what that means is that he gets a $15 mm signing bonus immediately and $2 mm in salary.

He probably gets a series of roster bonuses in the out years (that total $18mm, or $6 mm a year for 2009, 2010 and 2011) plus salary.

What remains to be seen is if the 2011 year has a "cut me" salary attached to it or not.

How did we get cap relief if he gets 15M immediate with 2M salary. That is more than14.6 he was going to get. I guess till we see the details, it is hard to figure out if we got a relief. Maybe Graves did not want a relief this year.

 

[football karma]

How did we get cap relief if he gets 15M immediate with 2M salary. That is more than14.6 he was going to get. I guess till we see the details, it is hard to figure out if we got a relief. Maybe Graves did not want a relief this year.

A $15mm signing bonus gets spread over 4 years -- or $3.75 mm per year. Add $2 mm in salary, and $2 mm signing bonus amortization from his original deal, and you get a cap hit of $7.75mm or so -- nearly $9mm less than original.

 

[Big Deal]

Tha wouldnt make sense at all becaus eit would give us ZERO cap relief.

Why do we need cap room now? There aren't any FA left, lol.

This deal is terrible, the fact that they didn't void the years on that contract is going to haunt the fanchise for a long time.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

11million $ per year finesse recievers just are not part of power running teams. Take it how you want. I would prefer guys who stretc the field and guys who block.

I'll give you the stretch the field part, but Fitz is a pretty good blocker. Not as good as Q but pretty good none less. Plus Q is a beast of a blocker.

For the millionth time, I like Fitz, I just dont like the thought of spending money like that on a reciever. We have been a good to great passing team for as long as I have been alive. We have almost always sucked ass at running the ball. What have those things brought us???? I was open to change.

I am with you 100%. It is a lot of money for a WR but as we stand as a team we are not suited to be a power running team. Maybe in four years that will be the case, but it is not the case now.
I was perplexed at why Graves wanted Fitzgerald for 6 or 7 years. Boldin is the captain, and the face of the team. He is going to get signed again and again because not only is he a great WR, but he can do so much more, and he is an excellent blocker. So, if and when push comes to shove I think Boldin will stay here over Fitzgerald (hopefully that decision will never have to be made)

In four years a lot can change, and I hope for our team to be able to run the ball effectively by then.

As for now. You have to be a little excited to see this Fitzgerald debacle go away, and to enjoy that he will be on the field for us for the next 4 years.

Now we get to go debate about Dansby!

 

[Shane]

Why do we need cap room now? There aren't any FA left, lol.

This deal is terrible, the fact that they didn't void the years on that contract is going to haunt the fanchise for a long time.

We dont have enough guys on our roster at the current time.

There are plenty of FA's still out and some decent ones. Quite a few good depth guys as well.

 

[General Chaos]

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Cards, Fitzgerald agree on deal that frees cap space
By John Clayton
ESPN.com

The Arizona Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reached agreement on a blockbuster four-year, $40 million contract that will free up much-needed salary cap room for the team.

Fitzgerald announced the deal on his Web site, saying he will make $33 million over the first three years of the contract.

Over the final two years of his old deal, Fitzgerald was scheduled to make $14,592,500 in 2008 and $17,355,000 in 2009. That put the team in a tight cap bind -- with less than $400,000 of cap room remaining -- so signing players was tough until they struck a deal with Fitzgerald. They had only 48 players on their roster and only 16 players on defense.

The team was trying to find a way to convince Fitzgerald to sign a six-year deal. In the end, Fitzgerald got his way and signed a four-year deal.

Fitzgerald will receive a $15 million signing bonus Tuesday. His base salary will be $2 million, giving him a $17 million payout this year. He has a $5 million option bonus in 2009. Over the four years of his contract, he will receive $30 million in guarantees.

The new deal will save the team $8.842 million in cap room, dropping his salary cap number from $16,485,000 to $7,643,334.

Fitzgerald caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Cardinals last season. In 60 career games over four year seasons, all in Arizona, he has 330 receptions for 4,544 yards -- a 13.8 yards per catch average -- and 34 touchdowns.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

 

[KiDStallyn]

Hell Yeah Baby! Go Fitzy!

 

[Big Deal]

We dont have enough guys on our roster at the current time.

There are plenty of FA's still out and some decent ones. Quite a few good depth guys as well.

I was kidding, I know this needed to be done, I just hate that it was at gun point. I know that Boldin isn't going to accept any less of a deal so we are going to have two receivers at 22m?

Silver lining, looks like they tacked on a coupole of extra years for not much more than they owed him for the next couple of years.

 

[DaisyCutter]

Why would a player not sign with Eugene Parker

The details of the deal have to come out, but insta-opinion is that Rod Graves got bent over a barrel on this one.

Cards wanted 6 years, Parker wanted 4. Fitz ends up with 4.

Cards wanted $25-30 million guaranteed on a 6 year deal. Fitz ends up with (reportedly) $33 million guaranteed. On that 4 year deal.

Wow. We'll see how this works out in the long term. Congrats to Graves for getting it done, but it sure seems like this wasn't much of a negotiation. What must Parker have been asking for to end up at these numbers?

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Lito Sheppard's website is reporting he has just been traded to Arizona for Larry Fitzgerald .

 

[Shane]

I was kidding, I know this needed to be done, I just hate that it was at gun point. I know that Boldin isn't going to accept any less of a deal so we are going to have two receivers at 22m?

Silver lining, looks like they tacked on a coupole of extra years for not much more than they owed him for the next couple of years.

Boldin will have no choice but toi take less of a deal. When his contract is due he will be 30 not 24. That is a whol lotta leverage IMO.