FanHouse Mark Bartelstein

The defending NFC Champions are confident in re-signing their quarterback, but there still remains a small gap in the negotiations. Mark Bartelstein, Kurt Warner's agent, is said to be asking for somewhere between $12-$16 million per year. The Cardinals originally preferred to pay Warner around $10 million a season, which was said to create a "significant gap" in the negotiating process.

Monday morning, however, ESPN's John Clayton reported the Cards have upped the ante to between $10 and $12 million.

Kurt Warner had a bit of a renaissance in 2008, taking a team that's used to hanging out in the gutter all the way to the Super Bowl, before coming up justthisshort in lifting the Cardinals to their first title.

Yet despite his successes, it was rumored that Warner might retire this offseason. But apparently Warner isn't going down that road. According to his agent Mark Bartelstein, Warner, 37, will be in shoulder pads next season.

Kurt Warner is about to become an unrestricted free agent, and if the Cardinals think they're going to convince him to sign at a discount to remain in Arizona, Warner's agent wants them to know he has other ideas.

In February, Devean George blocked the Mavericks' first attempt to save themselves from acquire Jason Kidd. He knew the decision would be unpopular -- fans in Dallas booed him during his first appearance after the trade fell through -- but he was content "being the bad guy" while exercising his contractual rights as a soon-to-be restricted free agent who'd be losing his Bird rights.

Considering the whole debacle (and that the re-worked trade for Kidd not involving George cost Mark Cuban an extra $11 million), it seemed a foregone conclusion that George would be given the boot this summer. Instead, it's the exact opposite. From Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News:

George and the Mavericks reached an agreement Wednesday on a new, two-year contract worth about $4 million, according to George's agent, Mark Bartelstein. Bartelstein said the deal includes an option for George to return to free agency after next season.

"He's excited about returning to the Mavericks," Bartelstein said. "He's excited about playing for [new coach] Rick Carlisle. Rick made a great impression on him and came to visit him a couple of times."

I admit, I'm more than a little surprised that the Mavs wanted George back, and not only because of any lingering feelings of resentment about the botched trade. The fact is, George is woefully unproductive. He averaged just 3.7 points and 2.6 boards in 15.5 minutes per game. Looking at his stats independent of playing time, he posted a paltry 7.06 PER, far below the league average PER of 15.0 and ranking 312th in the entire league. And yet, for some reason, the Mavs not only kept him but also gave him the option to decide how long he wants to stay. Brilliant.