The Arizona Cardinals are the latest team in the NFL to release veteran players to save cap room, as both linebacker Stewart Bradley and cornerback William Gay were cut by the team on Friday.
According to ESPN.com, the Cardinals released linebacker Stewart Bradley and cornerback William Gay to help get under the salary cap threshold by the NFL deadline. The move cleared nearly $4 million in cap space and could mean the team is preparing to make some free agent offers or a trade for players like quarterbacks Matt Flynn or Tim Tebow.
Bradley was looked at as a starting player when he signed a five-year, $30 million contract in 2011, but he was a disappointment for the Cardinals, making just 15 tackles in 16 games, including six on special teams. Bradley's best season with the team came in 2011 when he had 31 tackles and he spent two years with the Cardinals after playing three seasons with the Eagles.
During his time with the Eagles, he had a career-high 108 tackles in 2008 to go along with one forced fumble and one interception. His best game last season came in the finale against the San Francisco 49ers when he made six tackles in a 27-13 loss.
Gay was signed last year to a two-year, $4.95 million contract and started 15 games last season. He made 60 tackles, one sack and two interceptions while being a primary starter. Gay spent his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and made three interceptions over that time while starting every game in that span.
Gay's best game last season came in the opener against the Seattle Seahawks in which he made seven tackles and one forced fumble in a 20-16 win.
The moves save the Cardinals a nice amount of money and could mean they are looking towards free agency as major players. The team is coming off of a disappointing 5-11 season that saw coach Ken Whisenhunt fired. Bruce Arians was hired as his replacement after helping bring the Colts back from a 2-14 season under Andrew Luck, taking the team to the playoffs while coaching in place of Chuck Pagano.
The Cardinals are in desperate need of a quarterback after getting awful play from John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Ryan Lindley last season and could be in the market for one in the draft or in a trade for someone like Tebow or Flynn with the Seahawks. The team was ranked 28th in the NFL in passing yards per game and wideout Larry Fitzgerald had one of his worst seasons while dealing with the three quarterbacks.
Tebow might not be the best option as Arians may not want to build an offense around him, but Flynn could be an attractive player to the team, as he showed some flashes of greatness while a backup in Green Bay. Flynn signed a three-year contract with the Seahawks before last season, but was beaten out by rookie Russell Wilson in training camp.
Wilson made the most of his opportunity and kept Flynn on the sidelines, leading the Seahawks to an 11-5 record and the playoffs, defeating the Washington Redskins before losing to the Atlanta Falcons. Flynn had his best performance two years ago with the Packers, setting a team record with six touchdown passes and nearly 500 passing yards in a win against the Lions.
