Could The Bucs Use Matt Leinart?
February 6th, 2009Joe was listening to The Blitz on Sirius NFL Radio with co-hosts Adam Schein and John Riggins (hey Justin, what’s with the NFL thieving the name of your radio show?) and the duo was discussing how the Cardinals, if they are to keep their Super Bowl team intact, are going to have to be a bit creative with their salary cap.
If the Cardinals are to keep Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin, specifically Warner, then it will be hard for the Cardinals to justify keeping former first round pick and backup quarterback Matt Leinart and his $6 million a year salary.
Both Schein and Riggins suggested if the Cardinals do sign Warner and can find a team to cough up a second round pick that Leinart would be gone. This got Joe to thinking:
Would it be in the Bucs’ interest to maybe offer the Cardinals a third round draft pick and see if they take the bait? It’s clear the Bucs need to develop a quarterback and getting a former first round pick for a third round selection might be worth the gamble. Better a third round pick flame out than a first round pick.
Of course, Leinart already has some baggage. It is rumored that Leinart, a former Heisman Trophy winner from USC, enjoys the good life of an NFL quarterback and the perks that come along with it slightly more than working at his craft, which is partly why he lost his starting job to Warner last season.
Still, Joe believes that Leinart can still find ways to kill time on Clearwater Beach, at Ybor City and the Channelside district and still be able to put in the required work needed to develop into an NFL starting quarterback.