Free Fitzgerald?

[sunsfan88]

Are the Cardinals wasting Fitzgerald's talents in Arizona? The guy's a beast and deserves to play for a functional team with a QB that can get him the ball imo. He's done miracles to make it work til this point but at age 30, I think he deserves that opportunity to go some place else and win a ring.

Plus the rebuilding Cardinals could use the cap space and the draft pick they get from a possible Fitz trade.

Many teams in the league could use him....I think Chiefs, Pats, Ravens, Dolphins, Bears and maybe even the Colts are among teams that could be interested in him and could give up something nice to Arizona for him.

A lot of people accused the Suns of wasting Steve Nash skills for the last 3 years....are the Cardinals now doing the same thing with Fitzgerald?

 

[Shane]

For the last freaking time the guy is UNTRADEABLE due to contract!

Besides wouldn't want to anyway!

 

[crisper57]

For the last freaking time the guy is UNTRADEABLE due to contract!

Besides wouldn't want to anyway!

ABSOLUTELY!

It isn't possible and has been noted in countless threads on this board already.

 

[sunsfan88]

For the last freaking time the guy is UNTRADEABLE due to contract!

Besides wouldn't want to anyway!

Do you think he will perhaps take a pay cut or restructure his contract to go to a contender or a team where will he be actually given opportunities to catch the ball that comes somewhere in his vicinity?

 

[Mulli]

great thread. compelling and rich.

 

[BIGTONY]

Good speech Coach...Not going to Happen....

 

[TJ]

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[GatorAZ]

For the last freaking time the guy is UNTRADEABLE due to contract!

Besides wouldn't want to anyway!

He's not untradeable because of his contract. It's because we wouldn't get fair value in return.

 

[Mulli]

He's not untradeable because of his contract. It's because we wouldn't get fair value in return.

You might want to check that.

 

[PDXChris]

Do you think he will perhaps take a pay cut or restructure his contract to go to a contender or a team where will he be actually given opportunities to catch the ball that comes somewhere in his vicinity?

Most of the bonus money is what makes it so difficult has already been paid. All remaining guaranteed money accelerates. If we traded him right now, it would hit us for about $20 million right now against the cap, so we would have to wait until the end of the season and that would cause about a $13 million hit then. He can restructure all he wants, still will not help.

 

[PDXChris]

He's not untradeable because of his contract. It's because we wouldn't get fair value in return.

We have about 2 million in cap space, trading him right now would put us about $18 million over the cap. Negative numbers are bad, right?

 

[PDXChris]

Large signing bonuses and guarantees can be dangerous because every dollar spent hits the salary cap eventually. A player who leaves via trade, release or retirement before any bonus proration or other guaranteed money have been amortized carries an accelerated cap hit. Here are notable "dead money" hits on teams' salary caps for 2013.

QB Carson Palmer

Former team: Oakland Raiders

Cap hit: $9.34 million

The Raiders converted $11.675 million of Palmer's 2012 base salary to an OATSB (other amount treated as signing bonus) to help their cap last season, and 80% of it accelerated onto the 2013 cap when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in April. General manager Reggie McKenzie is digging his way out of cap hell, with Rolando McClain ($7.26 million), Tommy Kelly ($6,324,270) and Darrius Heyward-Bey ($5.26 million) also eating up huge chunks this season.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/09/05/nfl-salary-cap/2769123/

 

[GatorAZ]

We have about 2 million in cap space, trading him right now would put us about $18 million over the cap. Negative numbers are bad, right?

After the season. We'd save money short term and long.

 

[PDXChris]

After the season. We'd save money short term and long.

After the season would only be a $13 million hit instead of a $20 million hit. We would have an $8 million hit in 2015 and only a $3 million hit in 2016.


http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/larry-fitzgerald/

 

[crisper57]

After the season. We'd save money short term and long.

Cards are already staring down something like $15 million in dead money in 2014. Trading Fitz would almost double that number, which is approximately 25% of this year's cap figure. That's Raider-esque levels of dead money right there!

 

[Russ Smith]

can't we use our Bird exemption?

 

[GatorAZ]

After the season would only be a $13 million hit instead of a $20 million hit. We would have an $8 million hit in 2015 and only a $3 million hit in 2016.


http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/larry-fitzgerald/

This is my point, we'd save short term and long.

 

[GatorAZ]

Cards are already staring down something like $15 million in dead money in 2014. Trading Fitz would almost double that number, which is approximately 25% of this year's cap figure. That's Raider-esque levels of dead money right there!

Yet doing that would reduce our 2014 salary...

 

[crisper57]

Yet doing that would reduce our 2014 salary...

I'd rather pay $20 million to have Fitz be on our team than $13 million for him to be playing for someone else.

 

[GatorAZ]

I'd rather pay $20 million to have Fitz be on our team than $13 million for him to be playing for someone else.

Not disagreeing with that. Just pointing out the specifics financially.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I'm a Cardinal fan before I ever am a Fitzgerald fan. He makes the Cardinals better. He might not being doing as well as if he had a consistent QB and a better line...but that is just too bad, he still makes the team I love better. I will never pity a player enough to look past the team I root for

 

[slanidrac16]

For the last freaking time the guy is UNTRADEABLE due to contract!

Besides wouldn't want to anyway!

I doubt this will be the last time!

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Are the Cardinals wasting Fitzgerald's talents in Arizona? The guy's a beast and deserves to play for a functional team with a QB that can get him the ball imo. He's done miracles to make it work til this point but at age 30, I think he deserves that opportunity to go some place else and win a ring.

Plus the rebuilding Cardinals could use the cap space and the draft pick they get from a possible Fitz trade.

Many teams in the league could use him....I think Chiefs, Pats, Ravens, Dolphins, Bears and maybe even the Colts are among teams that could be interested in him and could give up something nice to Arizona for him.

A lot of people accused the Suns of wasting Steve Nash skills for the last 3 years....are the Cardinals now doing the same thing with Fitzgerald?

No.

And if the Cardinals want to free up cap space, then they can release the other 3 guys that are extremely poor players that are eating up more cap room than Fitzgerald.

Not to mention the dead money cap space that will be freed up in 2 years.

Not to mention if you trade the best player on the team, we are relying on an organization that traded Anquan Boldin for the same reason, and never justified the "freed up cap space" with players or signings that resulted in anything but failure, and a gaping hole where Boldin's production used to be at, to all of a sudden become personnel gurus.

So, no.

As for wasting his talents ? On who ? Me watching the game, and enjoying watching him play ?

Yeah, don't really care about that, I prefer he "waste his talents" for the colors I root for personally. I owe the guy nothing, thus I cannot fathom why I would want to make the sacrifice as a fan, or see the organization do it. He is going in the Hall of Fame, what else is there? Best ever, beating Jerry Rice? Not going to happen. He is not even the best receiver right now.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Yet doing that would reduce our 2014 salary...

OK.

And do what with that money?

You expecting the Cardinals to use that money and....

1. Find a QB
2. Find a LT
3. Find a pass rusher

hmm.....they haven't been able to do that before, so why is trading Fitzgerald going to change that ?

Who is going to make up for the lost production ?

Just sayin'

I understand the whole, free up cap space. But, cap space, and extra money doesn't win football games.

 

[GatorAZ]

I'm a Cardinal fan before I ever am a Fitzgerald fan. He makes the Cardinals better. He might not being doing as well as if he had a consistent QB and a better line...but that is just too bad, he still makes the team I love better. I will never pity a player enough to look past the team I root for

I agree. Team > Players every time... For me it would depend on what we'd do with the free'd up cash. If PP got a long extension the next day it would definitely ease the blow