The Arizona Cardinals have a number of moves to make moving into the 2013 offseason and they took care of an important one on Friday, as they decided to release veteran safety Adrian Wilson.
According to ESPN.com, Wilson was released on Friday to help with salary cap space and knew that it was likely his last year with the team. Wilson previously took a pat cut to stay with the team last year, which was one reason why he knew he was going to be cut this time around.
"In every franchise, there is a select group of players whose contributions earn them iconic status and for us, Adrian Wilson will always be one of those players," Cardinals president Michael Bidwill said. "He joined us at a key time in our organization's evolution and helped lead us into a new era. We will always be grateful for that and look forward to the day when he's placed in the Ring of Honor at University of Phoenix Stadium alongside the other all-time great Cardinals."
Wilson has been one of the most consistent and quality players for the Cardinals during his career, playing 12 seasons with the team while making the Pro Bowl three times. According to ESPN.com, Wilson is one of six NFL players with 25 interceptions and 25 sacks and he has made 27 interceptions and 25.5 sacks in his career.
Wilson has played in 181 games with the Cardinals and he made eight interceptions in 2005, which was the most ever by a player at his position in the secondary. According to ESPN.com, he was a team captain five times, including last season when the team went 4-12 and suffered some embarrassing losses to the Seahawks and Jets.
"Decisions like this are never easy, but it's especially tough with someone like Adrian because he's been such a special player and important part of this organization for the last 12 years," Cardinals GM Steve Keim said.
The Cardinals saved themselves some money heading into free agency and now could make a deal for a quarterback after dealing with poor play last season. The team was awful under Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley and John Skelton and won just once over the final 12 games, a 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions at home. The team lost eight in a row at one points, including a 58-0 thrashing to the Seahawks.
The team could be a prime target for Carson Palmer, who could team with Larry Fitzgerald to give the Cardinals some offense. Fitzgerald had one of his worst professional seasons last year and he will be looking for someone who can actually throw him the ball.
Although Tim Tebow does not exactly fit that bill, new head coach Bruce Arians could take a risk on the quarterback and bring him to the desert, where he has been training all offseason. Tebow could bring a spark to the team, much like he did with the Broncos and he could have the same affect Kurt Warner had, although they are different styles of players.
Palmer is an intriguing option, since the Raiders have Terrelle Pryor and have been looking to give him more playing time. The Raiders have the third pick in the draft and could take Geno Smith, making Palmer expendable.
