Cards’ Warner will return in 2009
The Arizona Cardinals will have several holes to fill if they hope to return to the Super Bowl next season, but one of them apparently won’t be what would have been the biggest hole of all: replacing Pro Bowler Kurt Warner at quarterback.
Warner told the Arizona Republic late this week that he will likely return next season and wants to play two more seasons.
“I am leaning in that direction,” Warner, 37, wrote. “Not sure I have made a definitive decision yet.”
But Warner’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, left no doubt, telling the Republic that Warner, “wants to play, for sure.”
Warner’s contract expired after the season and he will become an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27. He mentioned in an interview after the Super Bowl loss to the Steelers that he wasn’t sure he would return. The Cardinals maintain exclusive negotiating rights with Warner until free agency opens.
“Any time you are in your 30’s and you finish a season where you have that long of a year going through the Super Bowl, you always want to take a second to take a deep breath and digest where you’re at and make sure you are doing it for the right reasons,” Bartelstein said. “He loves to play. He loves to compete and obviously he’s still one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL.”
Certainly he potentially would be a popular free-agent choice for teams like the Vikings, Bears and 49ers, plus former Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley is now the head coach of Kansas City. But Bartelstein said his client is unlikely to leave the desert. Warner is expected to seek around $20 million in a two-year deal.
“We’re not going to fool anybody,” Bartelstein said. “He’d like to stay in Arizona. That would be his first choice. But he owes it to himself and his family to have an open mind. If we can get a deal done with the Cardinals, great. If not, then obviously you’ve got to look at free agency.”
With Warner back, the Cards would be overwhelming favorites to win the weak NFC West again – you can bet on NFL futures soon at WagerWeb.com.
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