Our biggest problem.....Fitz.

[football karma]

I think the offseason is making the Board crazy-

thus far we have two active threads where it has been suggested that:

*Cutting/trading Fitz is the way to go
*Adrian Wilson isnt very good

and the draft is still three months away............

 

[slanidrac16]

I think the offseason is making the Board crazy-

thus far we have two active threads where it has been suggested that:

*Cutting/trading Fitz is the way to go
*Adrian Wilson isnt very good

and the draft is still three months away............

If I came across as wanting to trade or cut Fitz, I'm sorry. Thats not what I meant. And if ,as many have said, a lot of Fitz's cap hit is because of bonus money that we owe him anyway then that changes the whole perception of how much he is affecting the cap or his willingness to renegotiate a new contract.
I am totally against letting good players go just for salary reason. Like somebody else said , if we don't pay them somebody else will. Thats why I am all for resigning Dansby and Pace.
It sure would be nice to have all 3 of these players signed before the FA period begins

 

[Goodyear Card]

I agree that it is in both parties interest to do a deal.

But, cutting him would be ridiculously foolish. A huge chunk of that 14mil is in the form of incentive bonuses which he's already earned. So, they'd still be on the cap AND we'd have to absorb the rest of his signing bonus.


Graves said we could live with the number, and I 100% believe he wasn't whistling Dixie on that one. My concern, when he said that, was that it will lead to an excuse for being conservative in free agency, when we can still be aggressive, for a guy or two, even with Fitz' full number.

Unless you have the details of Fitz's contract we can not be sure if the team is required to pay the incentive bonuses if Fitz is cut. I am guessing the $14M is in salary and not incentive bonuses. If the $14M was in incentive bonuses then there would be no reason to sign a new deal. I really don't see us paying him $14M but I also have no idea on what it would take for Fitz to agree to a new contract. IMO this a contract that should not have been signed.

 

[Jetstream Green]

One cannot use draft picks to justify trading players as good as Larry. Draft picks are uncertain and Fitz is proven.

 

[ajcardfan]

Unless you have the details of Fitz's contract we can not be sure if the team is required to pay the incentive bonuses if Fitz is cut. I am guessing the $14M is in salary and not incentive bonuses. If the $14M was in incentive bonuses then there would be no reason to sign a new deal. I really don't see us paying him $14M but I also have no idea on what it would take for Fitz to agree to a new contract. IMO this a contract that should not have been signed.

I know for a fact that he got a 5 million dollar incentive for his second Pro Bowl appearance. And, that was not the only one he earned this year, according to Somers. Bonuses earned in one season can be applied to the current cap, or the cap of the following season. It depends on space. Once earned, it's earned. The Cards have to pay Fitz that money, and have it on the cap, regardless of what they do with him from here on out.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

I think most of you guys are missing slan's point. The question is really this. What if Larry WANTS to play hardball. Someone spoke earlier abotu how hard he worked after his godfather/mentor was let go. Was that out of spite? Can anyone say for sure Fitz wants to be here. And if he doesn't - doesn't it make sense to refuse to restructure and put us in a place where we HAD to do somethign with him one way or another.

Another way to look at is maybe Wisenhunt loves what Fitz brings to the table but being formerly with the Steelers and around Ward, He sees Boldin as his #1 weapon and doesn't believe in commiting that much money to WR's.

Who knows? Its all conjecture. In an ideal world we all hope fitz wants to remain here for the rest of his career and that the Cardinals want to pay him like the rock star he is. But this is sports and that rarely happens.

I think Slan brings up a fair point and its not because "We should trade Fitz" or "What can we get for Fitz?". It becomes "What if we have to consider a reality without Fitz" whether it comes from his side or managements.

I hope we restructure Fitz and keep him here for life. He was beyond AMAZING this season, fumble issues and all.

But sports isn't always as simple "Fitz is good" and "let's keep Fitz".

Really there's alot more in play. And at some point it will come up.

If not this season, then if we don't restructure him, soon enough.

 

[slanidrac16]

I think most of you guys are missing slan's point. The question is really this. What if Larry WANTS to play hardball. Someone spoke earlier abotu how hard he worked after his godfather/mentor was let go. Was that out of spite? Can anyone say for sure Fitz wants to be here. And if he doesn't - doesn't it make sense to refuse to restructure and put us in a place where we HAD to do somethign with him one way or another.

Another way to look at is maybe Wisenhunt loves what Fitz brings to the table but being formerly with the Steelers and around Ward, He sees Boldin as his #1 weapon and doesn't believe in commiting that much money to WR's.

Who knows? Its all conjecture. In an ideal world we all hope fitz wants to remain here for the rest of his career and that the Cardinals want to pay him like the rock star he is. But this is sports and that rarely happens.

I think Slan brings up a fair point and its not because "We should trade Fitz" or "What can we get for Fitz?". It becomes "What if we have to consider a reality without Fitz" whether it comes from his side or managements.

I hope we restructure Fitz and keep him here for life. He was beyond AMAZING this season, fumble issues and all.

But sports isn't always as simple "Fitz is good" and "let's keep Fitz".

Really there's alot more in play. And at some point it will come up.

If not this season, then if we don't restructure him, soon enough.

Thanks AF. You said it better than I did!

 

[Duckjake]

One cannot use draft picks to justify trading players as good as Larry. Draft picks are uncertain and Fitz is proven.

Besides that how can you build through the draft if you keep letting the guys you drafted go to other teams?

 

[Skkorpion]

Besides that how can you build through the draft if you keep letting the guys you drafted go to other teams?

Like the Steelers have been doing for a long time? Quite successfully too.

 

[earthsci]

Like the Steelers have been doing for a long time? Quite successfully too.

They don't keep letting their good players go. Only the ones that they come close to replacing seamlessly. Smith, Foote, Roethlesberger, Faneca, Farrior, Hampton & Ward are all examples of Steelers that have signed multiple contracts for a whole lot of money. If your point is that we don't go after every high priced player that is available, that's reasonable. If your point is that we don't pay any players well, that's unreasonable and a recipe for a very mediocre team. It's not that you pay players alot, it's the players that you pay alot that will guide your success.

 

[football karma]

Like the Steelers have been doing for a long time? Quite successfully too.

usually not guys in their prime --

usually guys just on the wrong side of 30 or so

 

[Duckjake]

Like the Steelers have been doing for a long time? Quite successfully too.

The Steelers have two guys listed on their defensive depth chart as starters with less than 5 years with Pittsburgh. Which wouldn't indicate a propensity to just let guys go to other teams because they cost too much.

 

[Bobcat]

Someone made this statement below:


"Before the early games yesterday it was said that Fitzgerald contract will need to be re-worked, (as we all know). He will earn something crazy like 14mil this year and 18 mil in 09. As the reporter said , thats a number the Cards just can't live with."


I totally disagree with his premiss. You may ask why? Well other teams seem to be agle to live with contracts like Fitz's and yes they do rework them, but I am not going to let the "B's" off with this oned and so should you feel the same. Remember that they once said give me a new stadium sell it out and we will compete in all aspects of the NFL including Contract's, Free Agency, and Player's Existing Contract's.

Damn guy's let us make the "B's" put-up or Shut-up...!!! Let us see what their real Metal is...!!!


BOBCAT