The Viking QB rumor-mill has churned out yet another name – Kurt Warner.
The venerable former MVP and latter-day fumble-machine figures to languish on the Cardinals bench this year behind starter Matt Leinart, which leads some to believe the team would be amenable to giving him up in exchange for some low-end draft-pick. Oh yeah, and there’s the fact that Warner’s still on a three-year, $18 million contract he swindled the Cards into signing him to last year.
If the Cards get rid of Warner it will likely be because they want to be rid of that contract. The Vikings would certainly expect him to restructure before making that deal. In the end, it would all boil down to whether Warner chose to be traded to the Vikings, or chose to be cut.
So here’s the question – would going to the Vikes give Warner a better chance at playing? Tarvaris Jackson is less-established than Matt Leinart for sure, and his scrambling makes him more likely to get dinged up. So it might make sense for Warner even if he has to take less money.
However, I’m not sure it makes that much sense for the Vikings. Their pass-protection has been atrocious the last couple of seasons – just ask Brad Johnson. At least with T-Jack and Brooks Bollinger you have young legs and some escapability – old, slow Kurt Warner would just be a sitting duck back there.
In the end, it’s hard to see what Warner gives you that Brad Johnson wouldn’t have. So would it even make sense for Brad Childress, after jettisoning Johnson, to turn around and sign a guy who’s basically the same player? It depends on how desperate Childress becomes. If something happens in the next couple preseason games to shake his confidence in Jackson and Bollinger, Warner could pop up on his radar.
Barring a catastrophe, though, I doubt Chilly would have to resort to acquiring Warner. Kelly Holcomb would be cheaper, and probably has more in the tank at this point. Warner, at this stage of his career, is getting by on goodwill and past reputation. The Vikings need more than that if they’re going to rise up in 2007.