FanHouse RodGraves

It's been almost a week since the Cardinals publicly stated that they would listen to offers for their sometimes-estranged, sometimes-content pro bowl receiver Anquan Boldin. I guess it's nice to know that they'll listen, but, as things currently stand, they haven't had anything to listen to. Like many cold calling sales ventures, the phone-time has increased, but the productivity has not.

According to The Arizona Republic, general manager Rod Graves has had plenty of phone calls about Boldin, but nothing concrete in the way of trade offers. No one even tried the old, "hey, we'll give you a fifth rounder for him." Nothing.

Kurt Warner is your NFL MVP for 2008. I already told you that last week, and he just hung 395 more passing yards last weekend in yet another victory.

The Arizona Cardinals have played one playoff game in the past 26 years, yet they could clinch the NFC West this week. In Week 12.

From Warner's perspective, the Cardinals have a young team which looks to sit atop the NFC West as long as their quarterbacking situation is on solid footing. There is young talent everywhere else -- and Matt Leinart just cringed because I said everywhere else.

Let's pile those three short paragraphs together, and when we realize that Warner's a free agent at the end of the 2008 season; only one logical conclusion can be reached: It would be mutually beneficial to hammer out a contract as soon as is humanly possible. Warner and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, obviously agree, because they've been contacting Cardinals general manager Rod Graves over the course of the past few weeks.

Finally, some off-field goings on about the Arizona Cardinals that doesn't involve Matt Leinart, Nick Lachey, a beer bong, and a hot tub full of 19-year-olds.

In less scandalous news, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who had been in talks with the team about a new contract, has decided that it's much less frustrating to just beat himself in the face with a tire iron, play out his current deal, and get the hell out of the Valley of the Sun.

Apparently, Boldin feels team officials deceived him by not re-working his current deal prior to the start of the season. And, consequently, the Cardinals front office is now dead to him.

"At this point, I'm not even interested in a contract," said Boldin. "For me, it's been going on two years, and especially after last year, I was promised a deal would get done before the season. But the season's here and obviously that hasn't happened.

"I don't want a deal. People may think I'm being funny or saying that just to say it. But, for me, I'm just tired of it. Washed my hands of the whole situation. My agent has direct orders not to negotiate. So that's how I feel about it."

The Arizona Republic's Kent Somers writes that Boldin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, met with general manager Rod Graves and head coach Ken Whisenhunt just prior to Boldin's comments, so there's still a chance something can be worked out.

Typically, when the Steelers release a player, the process goes something like this: head coach Mike Tomlin explains that "it's a numbers game," and thanks the player for their hard work, commitment, etc.; player cleans out his locker and turns in his playbook; player immediately calls his agent; player signs with the Pittsburgh West within 48 hours.

Which is why recently unemployed running back Najeh Davenport probably wasn't too concerned about finding another gig. He told Sirius NFL Radio earlier this week that he would target the Cardinals and Lions as potential new employers, but he might want to think about casting a wider net during the job search.

"Cardinals GM Rod Graves said via text message this morning that the Cardinals have no interest."

So that's that. A running game that ranked 26th in the league last season has no need for a back who was eighth in value per play and 18th in total value. And Davenport's also a willing blocker and a good receiver. Interesting.

Actually, it's more complicated than that -- according to Rotoworld:

Najeh said he'd target the Lions and Cardinals as suitors, but his off-field past will work against him. The Cards also aren't in position to sign players other than their rookies. It's too bad, because this could've been a nice fit.

There's still Detroit, a team in need of a veteran running back who doesn't stink, and then there's Chicago: a team in need of a running back, period (although second-rounder Matt Forte has, roughly, a 10 million percent chance to be an improvement over Cedric Benson).

Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.

Arizona Cardinals general manager Rod Graves made it as clear as he possibly could today that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald isn't going anywhere, despite an enormous contract that will be a strain on the team's salary cap.

Speaking to the media at the Indianapolis Scouting Combine, Graves said he would like to renegotiate the contract that calls for Fitzgerald to earn a base salary of $16.5 million this year, but that if he can't, the team is prepared to carry Fitzgerald, even at that number. Graves referred to Fitgerald as a "core player" that the team wouldn't even think of releasing.

As for the decision to place the franchise tag on linebacker Karlos Dansby, Graves said that was mostly just a matter of giving both sides to work out a long-term deal.

"I still anticipate that we will get a long-term deal in place with Karlos. That's still our intention," Graves said. "The franchise tag is more or less a tool to allow you to negotiate over a longer period of time."

The Fitzgerald and Dansby contract situations could handcuff the Cardinals as they try to sign other free agents, but Graves pronounced the team in good shape heading into the free agency period.

The Arizona Cardinals are in a mess heading into the NFL free agency period, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is owed a base salary of $16.5 million for the 2008 season, thanks to the incentive-laden rookie deal that the Cardinals agreed to when they made him the third pick in the 2004 NFL draft. As a base salary, the entire contract will count against the team's 2008 salary cap, which means about 15% of the cap is tied into one player.

That will make it extremely difficult for the Cardinals to hang onto all the other players they want to keep, including linebackers Karlos Dansby and Calvin Pace, running back Edgerrin James and both quarterbacks, Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. They seem to already have resigned themselves to losing third receive Bryant Johnson.