The Arizona Cardinals announced on Tuesday that they had re-signed veteran linebacker Clark Haggans to a one-year contract. Reporter Kent Somers followed that announcement up with a tweet saying that veteran defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday would be signing a new contract with Arizona some time next week.
↵These two signings were long expected and both the team and the players knew it was going happen.
↵Why did it not happen until now? Well...they signed their contracts just in time to not have to participate in OTAs...which are, of course, voluntary, but if you don't show up, fans and coaches wonder about your dedication.
↵As veterans, players will tell you that the hardest thing about coming back each year is not playing on Sundays, it is the practices and offseason stuff. That was one of the biggest reasons why Kurt Warner retired. He knew he could play at a high level, but didn't feel that he was willing to do all the stuff in the offseason and in practice to get there. He wanted to instead be with his family.
↵Haggans and Holliday know what they are doing. The message from their representatives and from the team will be that they were keeping their options open in free agency, but the biggest reason was that they wanted to wait as long as they could before having to practice.
↵This isn't to say they have not been working out and taking care of their bodies. They have. They just wanted a little more time to rest and be with their family.
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