Today's an awful slow news day (welcome to the off season) so we'll try to spark some discussion with a good old fashioned hypothetical. Disclaimer: None of what you're about to read is based on facts, it's just one man's opinion who's looking for others opinion......
The Arizona Cardinals, like many other NFL teams, have their fair share of contract issues and it's always an uphill battle to fit all the star players under the salary cap. Two of the biggest question marks for the Cardinals are Karlos Dansby and Anquan Boldin. Both are leaders of their respective sides of the ball and both are in contract limbo. Dansby is preparing to play his second season under the franchise tag and talks of a new, long term deal haven't yet materialized. Boldin's entering his second consecutive off season unhappy with his contract and he's publicly asked for a trade a couple of different times, although at the current time he sounds like he's taking the high road. The future of these two stars is very much in jeopardy but who's more likely to finish their career as a member of the Cardinals?
The Case for Dansby: Dansby might have leg up because at least he's guaranteed to be a Cardinal for 2009. He'll play at least this season as a franchise player and become an unrestricted free agent next off season. Dansby's got one big thing working in his favor in that the Cardinals don't have anyone on the roster right now who could step into his starting job. Ali Highsmith had a promising rookie season but he was undrafted in 2008 for a reason and Victor Hobson was completely out of football for most of the '08 season. Some will say that they didn't pay him nearly $18 million dollars over the past two seasons just to let him walk, but others will argue that if they really wanted him around that he'd already have a long term contract. The bottom line is that Dansby is one of the biggest leaders on the defense and he'd be sorely missed if he was allowed to walk in free agency.
The Case for Boldin: Boldins' future isn't a clear as Dansby which is ironic considering he's still got two years left on his current contract. He's softened his "trade me now" stance but it's clear that the two sides still don't see eye to eye and Boldin's not just going to drop the subject all together. The front office continues to say that he's a core player and a part of all future plans but there hasn't even been any talk of a new contract as of yet. While his contributions to the offense are immeasurable at times, his overall value is hurt because of the fabulous depth that the Cardinals have at wide receiver. It's possible that he could be traded as early as before the draft or it's possible that he'll get a new deal tomorrow. The bottom line is that Boldin is greatness but the front office hasn't been in a hurry to appease his wishes as of yet.
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There's obviously no clear cut answer but it's fun to speculate. Who's your pick and why?