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Kolb, Fitzgerald and Rodgers-Cromartie

    by Sheil Kapadia
    Published 

Back in February, an ESPN report surfaced that the Cardinals' front office had requested Larry Fitzgerald's input about their quarterback plans.

And earlier this week, I wrote about how Kevin Kolb had reportedly already joined Fitzgerald for a private workout in Arizona earlier this month.

But how much influence does the Cardinals wide receiver have in choosing Arizona's QB of the future?

"There's not truth to that at all," Fitzgerald said to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic via text Friday. "I have no criteria. The two sides haven't even sat down and talked. I have not talked to any coach on staff for six months. I'm like everybody else scrambling to make this season a success.

"There are much more pressing needs for our team than me. I'm under contract. My situation will work itself out. I'm not worried about it; the team shouldn't be, either. I want to be a Cardinal."

Fitzgerald, of course, is set to be a free agent after the 2011 season. Even though he disputes his contract being a factor, Somers disagrees, and said Fitzgerald's future will play a role in the Cardinals pursuing Kolb over other veterans who might only have a couple years left:

But Fitzgerald's contract situation matters greatly when it comes to choosing a new quarterback. It's not the main reason the Cardinals rate Eagles backup Kevin Kolb as the best quarterback available this off-season, but Fitzgerald's pending approval plays a role.

The name that continues to be discussed in a potential Kolb deal is Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Last week, I wrote about how Rodgers-Cromartie struggled last season. Somers brings up the point that had he played well, the Cardinals might not be willing to deal him:

He didn't play well in 2010, however, and coaches have had to continually stay on him about study habits, consistency and attention to detail. After three seasons, perhaps the Cardinals have grown tired of harping on Rodgers-Cromartie.

Rodgers-Cromartie is due a reported $950,000 in 2011 and about $1.1M in 2012. Per Adam Caplan of FoxSports.com, the cap hit will be about $2.11M in 2011 and $2.29M in 2012.

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