As a Kansas State football fan one of the more amusing anecdotes in recent memory came from late 2005 when future Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman reneged on his commitment to the University of Nebraska to switch to Kansas State. The day after the commitment switch, Nebraska announcer Jim Rose went on the radio and declared (among statements about how Freeman had no integrity) that he effectively pitied Freeman for his choice - saying he had cheated himself by opting not to play with the Cornhuskers (here's the audio in case you're curious).
At the time I laughed and thought I'd never think such things and yet here I am five-years later feeling the same way about free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
As you're no doubt aware, though Edwards has been to the Pro Bowl, has well over 300 catches in his career, and is a well acknowledged deep threat - he's had an awfully hard time finding a job. Reasons for this difficulty include his diva-like attributes, concerns over his motivation with a long-term contract, and his well-documented off the field troubles.
According to most of what I've read, the market has dried up to the point where the only teams with any interest are the Redskins, Titans, 49ers, and Cardinals - most of whom are likely offering short-term deals. So this is the point where I tell Braylon Edwards - if you don't come to the Cardinals then I feel bad for you.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not even sure if I want the guy anymore since I'm almost certain my chances of being stabbed with a kitchen utensil will rise by 26% with his arrival in Phoenix - but it's by far the best situation for him.
Sure, he might be able to make more money in San Francisco, or get a longer deal from Daniel Snyder and his funny money but what Arizona has to offer is better.
If Edwards comes to the Cardinals he'll step into an offense that has spent the offseason re-tooling to be pretty dangerous. With Larry Fitzgerald drawing nearly constant double and triple teams, Edwards will also find himself facing favorable coverage situations more often than not - something that will allow him to accumulate impressive stats.
Beyond putting up stats, Edwards will also have an opportunity to do a little image rehab. Maybe if he's out in the Valley he can keep his name from being associated with words like "investigated" and "police suspect" - playing with a character receiver like Fitz can only help that.
After a year of clean living and single coverage Edwards may be able to collect the long-term deal he so badly wants.
According to a recent tweet from Kent Somers the Cardinals remain interested in Edwards but will not get into a bidding war for their services. Nor should they. But if Edwards is smart (and there's some question as to whether that's the case) he'll take what's offered in Arizona.