There have been various reports that receiver Anquan Boldin wanted a new contract that would put him in the same expensive neighborhood as teammate Larry Fitzgerald, who averages about $10 million a year.
But Boldin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has disputed that via Twitter, saying he recently made a proposal to the Cardinals for less.
How much less isn't known. Also unknown is how serious the Cardinals will consider it.
General Manager Rod Graves has continually said that re-signing strong safety Adrian Wilson and inside linebacker Karlos Dansby are higher priorities than Boldin.
Both Wilson and Dansby will be unrestricted free agents in 2010, while Boldin has two years remaining on his contract.
Graves recently stepped up negotiations with the agents for Wilson and Dansby and he hopes to know soon the chances of re-signing the two key defenders.
It's more likely the Cardinals will be able to reach a deal with Wilson. Drafted in 2001, he's been with the team longer than any other player, and he hasn't made a huge fuss about getting a new contract.
Wilson wants to stay in Arizona, and his agent, Eugene Parker, has been successful in dealing with the Cardinals in such matters. He negotiated Fitzgerald's extension a year ago.
Dansby, in contrast, has talked recently of how attractive it would be to hit unrestricted free agency in 2010, when there might not be a cap.
The challenge for the Cardinals is there is a bigger salary cap benefit to re-signing Dansby. He is making $9.7 million this year, the franchise figure, and a new contract would decrease his cap figure.
That conceivably could give the team enough to room to accommodate Wilson and one more veteran, perhaps Boldin.
