Steve Breaston is one of our favorite players here in the community. It was even before his poem video, too. But he is also set to become an unrestricted free agent and will test the open market. He has had production, but also had a knee injury that apparently has the team a little concerned about his long-term viability. He has not had any contract talks yet, even before the lockout and there was the Dallas Cowboys game in which he was benched in favor of Andre Roberts the second half.
While some guys (Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Wilson, Darnell Dockett) adore Ken Whisenhunt, based on the Twitter spat Breaston and Wilson had, you can tell that he does not feel quite the same way. He is conflicted about his future.
So will he stay or go?
His production is there. In 2008 he had 77 catches and 1006 yards as the third receiver. This last season, in 13 games, he logged 718 yards but only 47 catches. But we also know the QB disaster, so it is hard to tell how much that affected him. He also missed three games because of a knee injury.
Some believe that he is nothing more than a number three guy. One site describes him as "a star in the making."
PFF projects that he will leave and would be a good fit for the Chicago Bears. They say the following:
Andre Roberts appears to be in line to take over the #2 job and Early Doucet, while underwhelming and injury prone, is a fine #3 option. It's also worth considering that the tight end position will be more involved in the pass game after the team selected speedy Rob Housler in round 3 of this year's draft. Stephen Williams, Max Komar, and 7th round pick Demarco Sampson will also be in the mix at wideout.
As for the Bears, they see him stepping right in and starting opposite Johnny Knox and being quite successful with Jay Cutler throwing him bombs.
To those who doubt Breaston, think back over the years. When Breaston has missed games, the offense did not move as well, even with Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin. The team showed it could win without Boldin when injured because of Breaston's contributions.
Now. the question is whether or not the team believes that they need him at the price he will cost (he will cost more than the receivers not named Larry Fitzgerald). I do not believe he will command a huge salary, but he will seek long-term security if he can get it. He will want to start.
I want him back, but I am not optimistic that he will be back. Should he be back? Yes. He provides production and leadership. You need Steve Breaston players on your team.
Also, his video poem has put him on the map. Given the shot with a quarterback who can get the ball to him, I fully believe that he is, at the very least, if not a star in the making, then a household name in the league.
Steve Breaston deserves to stay in Cardinals red.