Kurt Warner Re-Signs with Arizona Cardinals for 2-Yrs, $23 Million

Kurt Warner has re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals agreeing to a contract worth $23 million over two seasons.

Warner experienced a renaissance this season after nearly a decade in the doldrums leading the Arizona Cardinals to its first NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance. I wrote about his resurgence prior to the Super Bowl. http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2009/02/01/kurt-warner%E2%80%99s-return-to-glory/

He had contemplated retirement but decided he wasn't ready to take that step. The Cardinals were slow however in re-signing him and a couple of days ago Warner met with the San Francisco 49ers.

Warner certainly deserves the contract. However, Warner will be 38 at the start of the 2009 NFL season. Is Arizona going to be a powerhouse in the NFC or was this a fluke season? Arizona, after all, won its division with a 9-7 record. Can Warner be expected to pass for 4,500 yards and throw 30 touchdowns again? Can he stay healthy? A lot of it will have to do with Matt Leinart. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner hasn't proven himself in the NFL but at 25 Leinart can still enjoy a productive NFL career. I suspect the Cardinals will keep Leinart on standby just in case rather than trade him. Leinart still has three years left on his contract. The question the Cardinals will have to answer is do they want to spend $17 million to have him sit on their bench?