Oldskool
February-29th-2008, 12:35 PM
FITZGERALD TRADE UNLIKELY
As the growing PFT Planet chapter in Philly watches and waits for the Eagles to inject some new talent into the roster, one of the lingering fantasies is that the team will swing a trade for Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
We don't see it happening, for two reasons.
First, Fitzgerald is due to earn total base salaries of $31 million over the next two seasons under the ridiculously stoopid contract that the Cardinals gave him as a rookie. Whoever trades for Fitzgerald has to assume that contract. And, surely, his new team would want to extend the deal.
But any new contract would have to have guaranteed money that matches the amounts he's due to earn over the next two years. And it would probably take a lot more than that to get Fitz to give up an essentially "guaranteed" $31 million over the next two seasons and a shot at unrestricted free agency in what very well could be an uncapped year.
Second, the Cardinals have to want to trade him. Though it might be in their best interests to do so, it wasn't in their best interests to give him that contract in the first place. So don't count on this franchise doing anything that reasonable people would regard as smart.
Our guess is that Fitzgerald will spend the next two seasons with the Cardinals, pocket his $31 million, and go elsewhere in March 2010 -- especially since the franchise tender for Fitzgerald in 2010 would exceed $20 million.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals now claim that their ability to sign new free agents and keep their own free agents is hampered by the Fitzgerald situation.
Hey, guys -- you only have yourselves to blame. And if you don't want to pay Fitzgerald what you previously agreed to pay him, you have an option.
You can cut him.
As the growing PFT Planet chapter in Philly watches and waits for the Eagles to inject some new talent into the roster, one of the lingering fantasies is that the team will swing a trade for Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
We don't see it happening, for two reasons.
First, Fitzgerald is due to earn total base salaries of $31 million over the next two seasons under the ridiculously stoopid contract that the Cardinals gave him as a rookie. Whoever trades for Fitzgerald has to assume that contract. And, surely, his new team would want to extend the deal.
But any new contract would have to have guaranteed money that matches the amounts he's due to earn over the next two years. And it would probably take a lot more than that to get Fitz to give up an essentially "guaranteed" $31 million over the next two seasons and a shot at unrestricted free agency in what very well could be an uncapped year.
Second, the Cardinals have to want to trade him. Though it might be in their best interests to do so, it wasn't in their best interests to give him that contract in the first place. So don't count on this franchise doing anything that reasonable people would regard as smart.
Our guess is that Fitzgerald will spend the next two seasons with the Cardinals, pocket his $31 million, and go elsewhere in March 2010 -- especially since the franchise tender for Fitzgerald in 2010 would exceed $20 million.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals now claim that their ability to sign new free agents and keep their own free agents is hampered by the Fitzgerald situation.
Hey, guys -- you only have yourselves to blame. And if you don't want to pay Fitzgerald what you previously agreed to pay him, you have an option.
You can cut him.