My sources are telling me that the Cardinals have received trade offers on both WR Anquan Boldin and DE Darnell Dockett, and that the Cardinals are very close to pulling the trigger on both deals.
The Dallas Cowboys are offering WR Patrick Crayton and their 2nd round pick in 2009 for WR Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals want the Cowboys to add T James Marten to the deal and will settle for Crayton, Marten and a 3rd.
The Atlanta Falcons are offering RB Jerious Norwood and their 4th round pick for Dockett. The Cardinals want Norwood and a 3rd and will add J.J. Arrignton to get it...but are strongly considering the deal, Norwood and a 4th, as is.
Crayton is a super slippery WR who put up good numbers last year, but dropped a key pass versus the Giants that Cowboy fans are still lamenting. He scored 7 TDs last year from the following distances: 3, 4, 4, 8, 20, 37, 59.
Norwood is the blazer at RB the Cards covet...he would need to be tendered next year in his 4th year, but the Cards would have money to burn if they deal Boldin and Dockett, and Norwood would be worth it. Two years down the line he and Tim Hightower would be a prodigious "thunder and lightning" combination.
Seems there is not much room to negotiate with Boldin so Mitch my well be on the money:
Arizona pulled off a mega trade Tuesday. The Cardinals traded one set of wide-receiver issues for another.
After awarding wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald with a four-year, $40 million extension that includes $30 million in guaranteed money, the Cardinals’ salary spotlight shifted instantly to wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who is scheduled to be paid considerably less than his receiving counterpart.
Last season, the Cardinals offered Boldin a contract extension, and here’s the key fact to consider: Boldin told them he wanted to wait for Fitzgerald to finalize his new deal. Now that he has, it dwarfs Boldin’s, whose average annual salary is three to four times less than Fitzgerald’s.
Boldin is scheduled to make $2.5 million in base salary this season, $2.75 million in base salary in 2009 and $3 million in base salary in 2010.
Yet, Fitzgerald did not sign a four-year, $22.75 million contract extension the way Boldin did back in July 2005, when he received $13.25 million in bonuses and salary in 2005-’06. Still ...
Whereas there were contract issues in recent weeks regarding Fitzgerald, who became the subject of trade inquiries from other wide-receiver-needy teams, there now are expected to be contract issues regarding Boldin, who is bound to become the subject of trade inquiries from other wide-receiver-needy teams.
Teammates to finish with 100-plus receptions
Year Players Team Rec.
2005 Arizona Larry Fitzgerald
Anquan Boldin 103
102
2000 Denver Rod Smith
Ed McCaffrey 100
101
1995 Detroit Herman Moore
Brett Perriman 123
108
Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas have explored the possibility of acquiring a big-name wide receiver, only to find that there aren’t any readily available. Now those teams could wind up exploring Boldin’s availability.
Boldin’s decision will be whether or not to approach the Cardinals for an extension. His agent is the deal-making Drew Rosenhaus. It will be up to Rosenhaus to plot the best course of action for the 27-year-old Boldin. But his numbers compare favorably to Fitzgerald’s, and many within the Cardinals organization consider Boldin to be the better receiver.
Boldin has been voted to two Pro Bowls; Fitzgerald has been voted to two Pro Bowls.
Boldin has 413 catches for 5,458 yards and 29 touchdowns; Fitzgerald has 330 catches for 4,544 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Both are an integral part of the Cardinals' young and improving offense. But it could be difficult to pay both.
The fine print
Not only does the 24-year-old Fitzgerald cash in now, but he is bound to cash in later, once his current deal expires.
Fitzgerald’s new deal contains a clause stating that, if the Cardinals franchise him at the end of the new contract in 2012, it will have to be done to the tune of $23 million for that season.
But the Cardinals also benefitted from Fitzgerald’s new deal. It will save Arizona $8 million against the salary cap this off-season, money it now can use to sign second tier free agents.
