The offseason is here for the Arizona Cardinals, and there are few teams which face more contractual questions over the next few months.
Linebacker Karlos Dansby is one of the more likely Cardinals to leave. Arizona would owe him nearly $12 million if they wanted to place the franchise tag on him for the third straight year.
Dansby told the Arizona Republic that leaving the Cardinals would be “very tough” but there haven’t been any contract talks “whatsoever.”
“If I have to leave, that’s the way the game goes,” Dansby said. “I’ve seen a lot of people come, a lot of people go. I’ve been around for a while. That’s how this business goes.”
The lack of a collective bargaining agreement will make player movement more difficult, so a young, talented player like Dansby could strike it rich if he makes it to the open market.
The Cardinals must choose priorities: Dansby’s teammates Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett both want extensions.
“I just want what I deserve,” Dockett said. “I’m not asking for favors. I’m not asking - this is what I want. I want what I deserve. I want what the top guys got. The numbers don’t lie. And obviously I’m in an organization that may see it different. But at the end of the day, if it’s not here, it’s going to be somewhere else.”
Expect a lot of similar talk coming from Arizona throughout the offseason.