Former Cardinals scout Dave Razzano made waves this weekend when he criticized his former employee in how they handled Kurt Warner’s retirement.
“Warner’s people told me he wanted to continue playing but decided to retire after being low-balled,” Razzano wrote.
Warner was due $11.5 million coming off a season where he led the Cardinals to a playoff victory before losing to the Saints. The idea that the Cardinals didn’t do enough to entice Warner to return is hardly new. Still, Warner took offense to the suggestion.
“2set record straight: I did NOT retire due 2 anything $$$ related!” Warner wrote. “I retired because I sacrificed enough for the game & didn’t want to do it anymore!” (We’ve edited some words for clarity.)
There is room here for both statements to be true. If Warner was primarily concerned about money, he would have played and/or pushed the issue. He had many avenues to do so. Instead, he retired in January.
With that said, the Cardinals may have had an opportunity to make Warner’s decision tougher if they had acted more aggressively before his final decision arrived.