Career Moves

This weekend several significant NFL contracts were negotiated and signed. Here is the rundown:

• Quarterback Matt Leinhart was cut by the Arizona Cardinals after complaining one to many times. Yet, the Houston Texans signed him as a backup quarterback for one year. Leinhart quickly went from being the likely starter of an NFL team to the backup to a pro-bowler QB. This is like getting fired from your dream job to then go be the assistant to your replacement.
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  Cornerback (that's the defender that guards the guys who make the catches) Darrelle Revis finally signed a new deal with the NY Jets for fours years and $46 million. The Jets finally got this deal to happen, in time for the season to start, knowing that without Revis the Superbowl would likely be out of the cards. Thought to be a win-win for both sides, the Jets still need Revis to perform because they are on the hook for $32 million guaranteed.
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a wide receiver, signed a one year contract with the Baltimore Ravens for $855,000. He will also be paid an additional $6.5 million by the Seattle Seahawks this season for money that is still owed on his contract. Houshmandzadeh gets to leave a losing Seattle team to compete for a title with the Ravens, while still getting paid the big bucks by Seattle. Sounds like a good deal for the receiver. I mean, wouldn't you want to get a giant severance package to then go justify a small paycheck at a job you love?

Looks Only Get You So Far

Matt Leinhart, a quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, is in a nightmare where he has not yet woken up to realize the danger he is in. Leinhart was the stud quarterback for USC who was drafted in the first round of the NFL in 2006. Yet, upon arriving in Arizona to make his debut, he lost his starting spot to veteran Kurt Warner. Now, in 2010 Leinhart has a chance to win it back (Warner has retired) and looks to be losing it again to another young quarterback, Derek Anderson.

What is so pathetic about Leinhart is that his response to being told that he would not be starting in a preseason game, is that he is demanding an explanation from the team and moreover, motivating the team to trade him away. Does he not realize that he is letting his dream job run away from him? Leinhart is a cancer that the Cardinals are smart to dump. Yet, he is expensive - with a $2.485 million base salary this year and $7.36 million salary the next. I pitty the team that picks up that tab.

Hopefully, when Leinhart wakes up, he will realize that those good looks and charming smile will not get him through life in the NFL. The NFL requires heart and commitment. Leinhart needs to stop asking to leave, but instead study a playbook. He reminds me of that popular girl in high school who could do no wrong, yet at the 10 year reunion she is stuck in a rut with little potential. Hopefully, Leinhart can keep his dream alive and avoid waking up to his nightmare.