Birds Offer Not Enough to Land Fitz... So Far

With Randy Moss still very much off the market, the Eagles have been pursuing trade talks with the Cardinals for Larry Fitzgerald. However, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, their rumored offer thus far—Lito Sheppard and Reggie Brown—doesn't interest the Cards.

It's likely the talks will continue as long as the Cardinals and Fitzgerald remain unable to come to terms on a contract renegotiation, but it remains to be seen how much the Birds will be willing to give up in return. Still, it's encouraging to see how aggressively they're pursuing their targets this off-season.

Somers also alludes to a sentiment we've heard mentioned about Fitz that we completely disagree with:

The impact of the Fitzgerald situation reverberates throughout the organization. It calls into question Fitzgerald's sincerity and commitment to winning, Rod Graves' acumen as a general manager and owner Bill Bidwill's willingness to write a check with a lot of numbers to the left of the decimal point.

It's not as if Fitz is demanding more money here—he just wants what the team agreed to pay him, a contract he's more than lived up to. In a league where aging players are dropped left and right due to their contracts, it's completely unfair to question a young Pro-Bowler's desire to win just because he wants what is owed to him. Also, how can "commitment to winning" and "playing for the Cardinals" be part of the same equation?

Comments

[Johnny G]

kinda surprised to see that they offered lito and reggie... didn't know we were shopping reggie brown... also surprised they turned that down seems like a good deal...

[Zack]

I think as the Cardinals get closer to the Draft this will be a better looking deal to them. According to John Clayton, they don't even have a full team as of right now.

I agree about it not being his fault that they gave him such a ridiculously bonus-laden contract, that he met because he played so well for them. With how many players are openly complaining about contracts in the league...it should be good to see one young player who is happy with his. haha

[HLH]

I'm happy to see we are still pursing Fitzgerald. I really have a good feeling about this whole situation now. I don't think Arizona is gonna restructure Fitzgeralds contract. I think they are just holding on to him for so long because they know we are desperate for a wr and they want to see what we will are willing to offer. I have a feeling that buy next weekend we will be ordering are #11 jersey's.

[Chris Iafolla]

Of course the deal doesn't interest the Cardinals at this stage of the game. As the draft gets closer, the price will go down. The Eagles are playing this patiently, as they should. Will a deal get done? I'm not sure that it will, but the longer Fitz goes without a restructured contract, the better the Eagles deal becomes.

[Kulp]

Johnny, I wouldn't say the Eagles are shopping Reggie Brown, but sending a WR to the Cards in any trade for Fitz makes sense. After Boldin, their remaining receivers are Jerheme Urban, Steve Breaston, and Sean Morey. A trade with another team, the Lions for instance, probably wouldn't include Brown because they are already set at that position.

I also wouldn't go so far to say that Lito and Brown for Fitz is a good deal. They are going to need to drop a draft pick in there, I would think no later than their second. We all like Sheppard a lot, but he doesn't have the value of a Pro Bowl corner because he's not on the field every week. Plus, the Cards will be giving up one of the premiere players in the league, and Reggie does not go a long way in terms of a replacement. The draft is deep this year, so they will definitely be looking for an extra lottery ticket from our club. I will be really surprised if there is no first day pick in this deal.

The sudden negative spin on his contract situation is no surprise. The front office has gone out of their way to announce they could not be players in free agency with the current deal. That's the bitch about picking third in the draft, but he definitely earned his money. I heard one of the sticking points with a new deal is the number of years; Larry wants a shorter contract so he can hit free agency sooner, presumably in case the Cardinals never get better. Sounds like a commitment to winning to me.

This trade still isn't a lock. I would be willing to give up a first round pick if it got a deal done right now, but I can't argue with their patient approach. Like Chris said, the longer this goes on, the more likely it is they swap. First, the Eagles are going to have to make a quality offer, because the Cards could just keep Fitz and try again next year.

[Patrick Bateman]

i know a teacher at valley forge and she said he was the dumbest kid she ever met

[Lenny]

I think we need to land this deal ASAP. I highly doubt the Birds are the only team interested in Fitz, and if we don't push hard soon, someone else will gladly drop a few picks / players and pick him up.

I would have absolutely no problem with dropping a first rounder and some change for Fitz. With the draft being such a crapshoot, I could easily imagine myself sitting back on draft day, seeing Arizona picking where the Eagles should have been, and saying, "That's OK, we got Fitzgerald for that pick." Trading draft picks for young, already proven players is a no-brainer, to me at least. Don't have to worry about "potential," "upside," or Freddie Mitchells.

[Justin]

The Eagles have bigger draft-day needs than WR. If they have to add this year's first-rounder, I'd pass.

[celticman]

If we dont get a quality WR,then I think shopping McNabb is a more viable option.Why on earth do we want to see another season of Donovan throwing 3 yard swing passes to Westbrook. I love McNabb,but the truth of the matter is, that he is on the down side of his career,and he needs a stud reciever to make up for his lack of accuacy. As a lifetime Bird fan, I dont want the same "cookie cutter" team we have put out for most of Reid's tenure.

[Matt G.]

Not that its a perfect predictor, but in Madden '08 I had to add a 2nd rounder to the trade for the Cards to give up Fitzgerald.

So that was Lito, Reggie, and the 2nd rounder for Larry Fitzgerald.

[Frank]

Fitzgerald, Cards agree on new deal


Fitzgerald
According to his personal website, Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals have agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed.
He'll get $33 million over the next three years. Fitzgerald had been scheduled to make $32 million over the next two seasons, but it was unlikely any team would pay him the $18 million he was due in 2009. The deal gets the Cardinals out of the terrible rookie contract they negotiated with Fitzgerald, but comes too late for them to make any impact free agent signings. Mar. 11 - 12:31 pm et
Source: The Sporting News