CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora published an interesting article on Friday regarding the biggest spenders in the NFL. Despite what you think, teams like the Cowboys and Redskins do not come close to the top in terms of money spent. Instead, the Buccaneers and Cardinals, led by the Glazers and Bidwills respectively, are the ones putting up the big bucks.
So why were the Cardinals so reluctant in throwing up the big money to keep their former big time quarterback? Could it have put them in the sticky QB situation they are in now? More after the jump.
It seems that La Canfora believes the Cardinals were unwilling to pay Kurt Warner, which is why he retired after the 2009 season. Because of that, they grossly overpaid to bring in Kevin Kolb and, up to this point, that has not worked out. He notes that the Cardinals have historically been "chronic under-spenders", but that if they would have forked over some cash, they would not be in their current situation:
Had the Bidwills been willing to spend near these levels a few years back, and done the right thing to keep Kurt Warner and give him a contract he couldn't walk away from, the Cardinals would be in much better shape and wouldn't have had to throw money at Kevin Kolb.
It appears that Warner was looking for a two-year deal of sorts in order to stay around, since he didn't get it, he decided to retire, leaving the Cardinals without a QB.
I am not sure I buy this, though. Sure, enough money might be what it takes to bring someone like Brett Favre back, but I think after Warner sustained another concussion during the 2009 playoffs against the Saints, he was ready to call it a career. No longer was he willing to sacrifice his body to play football and it was probably the right call.
Would the team have spent the money on Kolb had Warner stayed? Probably not. But what they could have ended up doing was giving Matt Leinart a contract extension instead, still thinking of him as the heir apparent. Would you have wanted them to do that? I'll let you answer that question.
For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and "Like" us on Facebook.
Get more Cardinals coverage at Revenge of the Birds.