Arizona's Matt Leinart on trading block
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports is reporting that the Arizona Cardinals have put Matt Leinart on the trading block.
According to several sources, the Cardinals contacted teams on Tuesday, offering the fifth-year player to several clubs. The sources do not know what compensation the Cardinals are looking for.
There has been quite the quarterback controversy in Arizona since Kurt Warner announced his retirement after last season.
Leinart, the tenth pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Southern California, played in twelve games during his rookie season, tossing eleven touchdowns and twelve interceptions. The future looked bright for the Cardinals after a decent rookie campaign.
Times have changed
Since then, Leinart has appeared as a back-up in a limited role, throwing only three touchdowns compared to eight interceptions.
In the off-season, the Arizona Cardinals signed free agent Derek Anderson to a two-year deal worth $ 7.25m.
Anderson, a 2008 Pro Bowl quarter, was brought in to start over the disappointing Leinart.
Once seen as a sure NFL superstar, Leinart has made more noise off the field than on the field.
Various photos have been released of Leinart partying in Southern California, something that has certainly damaged his image.
Leinart feels that he has done enough to earn the job, but wonders if something else is influencing his lack of time on the field.
“I feel like I've outplayed the competition, training cam, pre-season,” Leinart said. “I think my play speaks about that. For me, this goes beyond the football field.”
After winning the 2004 BCS National Championship with the Trojans, Leinart returned for another season at the Pac-10 school, even after being considered the potential number one pick in the draft. Leinart had another tremendous season, eventually losing to Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in the BCS National Championship 41-38.
Leinart went 37-2 as a starter for the Trojans, the complete opposite of what he has done in the NFL.
There are rumours about the teams who may be looking for a quarterback. San Francisco, Seattle and Buffalo look like the most likely destinations. Many are not sure how happy the 49ers are with Alex Smith.
The Seahawks could be a possibility, as they are coached by Leinart's college coach, Pete Carrol. The Bills, who lack a quality starter, may be interested in bringing in Leinart to compete for the starting job.
It is likely that Leinart could be moved for a fifth-round pick. He does not have much value at the moment, but he does have a fairly large contract, something that could turn teams off.
It appears that the former Heisman winner has ran out of time in the south-west.
Tags: