The Cardinals will have a handful of key contributors eligible for free agency this offseason, and if you ask the players on the roster which of those free-agents-to-be is the most important to re-sign, you won’t necessarily get the same answer. While one Cardinals player suggested to Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic that locking up safety Rashad Johnson should be the team’s top priority, another gave his vote to an offensive tackle.
“Bobby [Massie],” the player said. “I thought he had a great year. Whether he stays here or whether he doesn’t, he’s going to get paid a lot of money.”
As we wait to see how the Cardinals approach their offseason, let’s check in on a few more items from out of the NFC West….
- The Cardinals may have a few notable players eligible for free agency, but head coach Bruce Arians remains excited about how the roster looks for 2016, writes Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com. “Looking at the team that’s coming back versus where we were this time last year, very few holes to fill,” Arians said. “[GM] Steve [Keim]’s already off starting to do it and this offseason already has begun.”
- While Chip Kelly should have the final say on who the 49ers‘ starting quarterback will be in 2016, team management would like to see Colin Kaepernick get another opportunity, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole indicates that the 49ers front office views Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary as reasonable for a starting quarterback, and believes he has the potential to bounce back under Kelly.
- Kelly didn’t use a fullback during his three seasons as the head coach in Philadelphia. What does that mean for 49ers fullback Bruce Miller? Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com examines the issue, suggesting it’s not a lock that Miller will be looking for a new home this offseason.
- Following up on John Schneider‘s comments about the Seahawks planning to bring back tight end Jimmy Graham next season, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com breaks down why it makes sense to take the GM at his word.
I think Massie is a prime candidate to get overpaid, similar to Jermey Parnell last season. The Cardinals have a ready-made replacement in D.J. Humphries, so I don’t expect them to be too worried about retaining Massie.