Staying Put
Both owners of Super Bowl rings, Kurt Warner and Ray Lewis are staying put in the belief they can add another NFL title to their resumes.
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One month after Warner nearly led the Cardinals to a comeback win over the Steelers in the Super Bowl, he decided to remain with Arizona. The 37-year-old quarterback agreed to terms Wednesday on a two-year, $23 million contract with the Cardinals, including a $15 million signing bonus and a $4 million salary for the first year: $19 million guaranteed.
“I love what we’ve been doing,” the two-time league MVP and Super Bowl winner in 2000 with the Rams said. “I love what we’ve been building here.”
Lewis, the face of the ferocious defense in Baltimore since 1996, when he was a first-round draft pick, sticks with the Ravens for three years and nearly $22 million. At 33, Lewis comes off one of his best seasons, which is saying a lot considering he is a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2000 and 2003). Baltimore lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC title game in January.
sn’t happen in the NFL,” said Lewis, who won a championship with the Ravens in 2000. “I don’t think an athlete can have a greater legacy than to be able to stay in one place for an entire career.”
Re-signing 10-time Pro Bowler Lewis was a key for Baltimore after it lost linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard to the Jets in free agency. They went to New York to join former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, now head coach of the Jets.
The Ravens also added veteran center Matt Birk to replace Jason Brown, who left for St. Louis. Birk has been with Minnesota since 1998 and made six Pro Bowls for the Vikings.
“To add a player like Matt, who will also give us outstanding leadership, makes us a better team,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re not standing pat. We’re moving forward and getting better.”
If the Cardinals get just a little better, they will be NFL champions. So keeping Warner was a must after he had a superb postseason in guiding the franchise to its first title game appearance since 1948.
“We’re ecstatic about the commitment the organization has made to us,” Warner said. “Now it’s my job for the next two years to go fulfill my part of the deal.”
he Cardinals, and a deal was concluded Wednesday.
“You know the numbers are staggering, and to add to that the economy and where people are struggling, it’s tough,” Warner said. “But all I know is I’ve worked hard to get to the point that I’m at, to be in this position and have opportunities like this and I don’t regret that fact.”
Posted: 3/5/09 12:50PM ET
