After a strange period of time during which it appeared as though the Cardinals might actually allow Kurt Warner to leave Arizona, the two parties have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth $23 million. According to John Clayton of ESPN, about $19 million of the deal is guaranteed. The report also claims that Warner will receive a $15 million signing bonus and a base salary of $4 million for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Initially, Warner and agent Mark Bartelstein were looking for $14 to $16 million annually (a salary indicative of a top-five QB), but the quarterback decided to lower his asking price as long as he received sizable guarantees from the Cardinals. Warner visited San Francisco earlier in the week, and while it was believed that they would offer him a contract worth more than Arizona was willing to, he opted to remain with the team, which has reportedly assured him that he?ll be their starter for the next two seasons. The Cardinals were hesitant to give Warner a huge payday, which initially upset Bartelstein and his client, but it was clear that they still wanted the future Hall of Famer (I?m of that belief) in town. During negotiations, Warner also pushed the team to resolve the contract demands of Anquan Boldin, possibly even lowering his demands so that general manager Rod Graves could use the money on the wide receiver. With the presence of Matt Leinart in Arizona, there was doubt heading into the postseason whether or not Warner would remain with the team past 2008, or even if he would opt to retire. However, after an unlikely journey to the Super Bowl, during which Warner went 92-for-135 with 1,147 yards for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, he cemented his status as an elder statesman with more than enough gas in the tank to help a franchise known for losing continue to turn the corner. Warner had the third-highest FIC (Chris Reina?s Field Impact Counter) of all quarterbacks last season, behind only Drew Brees and Jay Cutler. Yes, that places him ahead of passers like Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Tony Romo and Matt Cassel. He was incredibly steady in 2008, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in just one game -- a 56-35 loss to the Jets in Week 4. On only four occasions was his quarterback rating below 81.5, a mark that guys such as Kerry Collins, Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre would have been happy to average over the course of the season. As steady as he was, he also ranked among the NFL?s leaders in most of the prominent quarterback statistics. Warner?s 2008 Rankings Completion %: 67.1, 2nd Yards: 4,538, 2nd Yards Per Attempt: 7.66, 7th Touchdowns: 30, 3rd QB Rating: 96.9, 3rd The contract could mean the end for Leinart in Arizona, who will now have to wait until the 2011 season to grab hold of the team?s starting job. That would mean that the tenth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft would have to wait six seasons to be his team?s unquestioned starter. The Cardinals could hope Leinart takes the news in stride, and continues to party?I mean?work hard for the eventual day when Warner leaves town, or retires. They could also deal him, and put off worrying about a successor to Kurt until next season. The safer move would obviously be to hold onto Leinart as insurance for the present and future, but there could actually be a decent market for him, even though he hasn?t shown the promise he showed coming out of USC. As long as Warner can still throw the football he?ll have success in Arizona. With that said, keeping Boldin is imperative to his success as well. Larry Fitzgerald, definitely a top-five receiver, and Boldin are the perfect pair of receivers for Warner, in my opinion. It will be hard for the Cardinals to follow up their near Super Bowl win, but they have a very strong chance to repeat as NFC West champions, especially with the mediocre NFC North on their 2009 docket. However, there have been some substantial changes in the desert, including the loss of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and the firing of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast and quarterbacks coach Jeff Rutledge. With that said, Arizona has a much better shot at success next season with Warner still in town than they would have had with Leinart. They bucked their trend of ?not taking care? of players and the second-guessing if Warner struggles will be a lot less prevalent than it would have been if they let him go elsewhere and he succeeded. After such a successful year, it also would have been reasonable for Graves to cave to Warner?s early demands and overpay him. Grade for Cardinals: B+ Warner didn?t get the money he initially coveted, but he maintained his angelic reputation by lowering his demands in order to remain with the team that gave him yet another second chance to prove he?s still an NFL quarterback. Grade for Warner: A