Waiting games: Leinart, Houshmandzadeh

Two of the more polarizing figures in the NFC West find their careers in some limbo exiting the 2010 exhibition season.
Sizing up their situations:
Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals
The team has reportedly given Leinart's agent permission to seek trade partners. That likely means the Cardinals nfl throwback jerseys
weren't having any luck finding another team to acquire Leinart (more specifically, Leinart's contract). By involving the agent, the Cardinals make it easier for Leinart to adjust his contract in a manner amenable to another team.
Leinart has the 2010 and 2011 seasons remaining on his deal. His salary for 2010 is a relatively manageable $2.485 million, but the second year balloons into eight digits. Any team compensating the Cardinals for Leinart will want more modest financial terms for 2010.
Without the agent involved, the Cardinals would probably have to release Leinart if they chose to part with him. They still might have to go that route, but at least there's a chance agent Tom Condon can work out something. Leinart appears bitter over his situation, however, and I wonder how eager he'll be to work out a deal allowing the Cardinals to get value for him.
If released, Leinart could take some time to regroup, wait for injury situations to shake out and then proceed on his own terms.
The Cardinals could still decide to keep Leinart around past the mandatory reduction to 53 players. It's clear they'll keep Derek Anderson and rookie Max Hall. I see less urgency for the Cardinals to keep rookie quarterback John Skelton on the 53-man roster after watching the preseason play out.
Teams and especially fans can fall in love with third-string quarterbacks during camp, but they're still third-string quarterbacks -- or fourth-string, in Skelton's case -- and therefore unlikely to contribute anytime soon, if ever.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle Seahawks
The veteran wide receiver told reporters Thursday night that he's aware the team is open to trading him.
This was a forced marriage. The Seahawks are rebuilding and going with young players in quite a few positions. They like what they've seen from receivers Mike Williams, Golden Tate and Deon Butler in particular, and Deion Branch appears to be on relatively new jersey nfl
solid footing.
Houshmandzadeh turns 33 this month and he is nearly two years older than Branch. He's also a strong personality and very much an independent thinker. He sometimes puts his own feelings ahead of the team in ways that create a negative impression. For example, he complained about not getting enough passes thrown his way last season and seemed to question the toughness of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. More recently, his body language conveyed sulking after Hasselbeck threw incomplete to Branch during a team scrimmage.
Trading Houshmandzadeh appears unrealistic because the receiver's contract includes $7 million in guaranteed salary for 2010. Any team acquiring Houshmandzadeh would also acquire the contract -- plus the strong personality and independent thinking. Houshmandzadeh has value, but not for every team and not at any price.
The guaranteed money in Houshmandzadeh's contract allows him to sit back and let the situation play out. Would the Seahawks release him anyway, eating the $7 million? That wouldn't make much sense for the team financially, but the Seahawks have shown they'll lose money when they feel strongly enough about the need for change (Jim Mora is still collecting millions from the team).
Releasing Houshmandzadeh might not make much sense from a short-term football standpoint, given that Houshmandzadeh is easily the most proven receiver on the team. He wasn't great last season, but he still caught 79 passes, tied for fifth-most in franchise history and matching Steve Largent's career high.
Then again, the Seahawks are rebuilding. They have some young talent at the position. Williams appears ready to do the things Houshmandzadeh has done as a perimeter receiver, but he's younger and bigger. Moving Houshmandzadeh primarily to the slot could make sense, but the nfl football jerseys
Seahawks have options there, too, with Branch, Butler and Tate.
The Seahawks' new leadership has some leeway in reshaping the roster to its liking. Houshmandzadeh doesn't fit. Releasing him could be an option.