Okay, Kurt Warner's on the open market. He and the Arizona Cardinals, though talking, didn't come to terms on a contract before the free-agency deadline today.
What does this mean? Well, he could go to another team, that's what it means.
How much does this matter. Maybe a lot (it would be reassuring to see him back in red and white for another season, after that Super Bowl appearance). Maybe not that much (Matt Leinart, who won two national championships and a Heisman Trophy at USC, is waiting in the wings).
The Cardinals are offering Warner about $10 million a year; he and his agent want in the vicinity of $14.5.
Who will blink first? We figure it'll be Warner and agent Mark Bartelstein, for a couple of reasons:
Warner says he wants to keep his family in the Phoenix area (though he hinted in a recent radio interview with ESPN radio that he's listening to what teams in other cities have to say). And he may not be worth more than what the Cards are offering in the open market, given his age and history of injuries. See NFC West Blog.
Still another factor might be Warner's failure to peform at a level consistent with the top five quarterbacks in the league (the money's he's asking would put him up there with New England's Tom Brady, who's six years younger) in cold weather.
Which would leave out at least one team, the Chicago Bears, who've expressed interest in him. The Phoenix sports blog Fanster has an interesting take on where the soon-to-be 37-year-old might wind up.
The waiting game's begun.
