The Arizona Cardinals already had reportedly had a contract offer on the table for veteran DE/OLB John Abraham. According to a pair of reports, Abraham has signed with the team, and the contract is not the one-year deal that has been the norm for late-signing veterans.
First it was ESPN's Adam Schefter who broke the signing and a few minutes later he tweeted that Abraham's deal with Arizona is a two-year contract.
The Cardinals in 2012 did not get much pass rushing from the outside linebacker position off the edge. Abraham immediately bolsters that. He has 122 sacks and 44 forced fumbles in his 13-year career. Even last season, he logged 10 sacks and forced six fumbles for the Atlanta Falcons.
The reported signing puts into question the role of O'Brien Schofield. Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki tweeted that he heard Schofield would not take the conditioning test Thursday afternoon. Schofield, though, was present and did participate.
The expectation is that Abraham will be used as a situational pass rusher.
The signing has been received positive by fans and media.
One thing to note, just as a piece of information, is that once upon a time Joey Porter was signed to a multi-year contract by the Cardinals (in 2010). His previous season in Miami he had nine sacks and the season previous to that he had 17.5. His play declined greatly in the desert.
The hope is that Abraham is more like Bertrand Berry than Porter. Berry is the last Cardinals player to have double digit sacks, when he did so in 2004.
Update:
The word on the salary numbers for Abraham are supposedly two years for about $6 million. It isn't Joey Porter money, but it could mean that he is expected to be more than just a situational guy.
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