It’s been a long time in the making, but fans in Arizona can rest easy tonight in knowing their star defensive end won’t be playing elsewhere anytime soon.

According to Mike Jurecki of XTRA Sports 910 AM, the Cardinals reached an agreement with Darnell Dockett earlier today on a new six year contract, worth $47-50 million, with $31 million guaranteed.

Dockett had been adament about receiving a new contract for quite some time and even went so far as to demand a trade when no deal seemed forthcoming.

But in spite of all the back and forth between the two sides, an agreement that benefits both parties was finally put together, and Dockett signed on the bottom line, staying in Arizona for the prime of his career at the very least.

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It’s not often that former first round picks are traded or released by their respective club without having spent a significant amount of time as a starter first, but in the case of Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart, it seems likely that very scenario will be playing itself out at some point this week.

According Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Cardinals have been quietly shopping Leinart around the rest of the league over the past few days, and are expected to make a move one way another very soon (H/T to NFP)

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic seconded Glazer’s post with his own thoughts, adding that an outright release is a very real possibility if Arizona is unable to find a trading partner of their liking before Saturday’s deadline to cut the roster to 53 players.

Leinart has been a major disappointment since he joined the Cardinals in 2006 as the 10th overall pick, struggling throughout his first two seasons to distinguish himself as the starter, and took a seat on the bench seemingly for good at the start of the 2008 campaign behind veteran Kurt Warner.

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Earlier in the offseason when the team lost top-tier free agent LB Karlos Dansby to the Dolphins, the Cardinals seemed to have few options to rebuild their middle of the defense immediately. However, over the past few weeks–and specifically the last few days–they’ve really shown and executed their desire to instantly make their defensive unit better. First, they brought in the experienced Larry Foote for a visit. Though negotiations didn’t work out and Foote inked a deal with the Steelers, the Cards failed to give up and acquired someone just as talented today in Joey Porter.

Formerly of Pittsburgh and Miami, Porter has amassed an impressive 92 sacks over his lengthy, successful career. He is expected to take over for Chike Okeafor in Arizona’s LB corps, and should provide them with a thrilling play maker. He’s arguably on the decline, as he will turn 33 years old in the coming days, but remains one of the better pass rushing linebackers in the league, and was actually one of the top defenders on the market after being cut by the Dolphins for off-field and financial issues. His deal with the Cardinals is reportedly worth $24.5 million over three years, with $17.5 million in guaranteed money.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Arizona Cardinals have reached an agreement with former Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson on a two year, $7.25 million contract. He will be competing with Matt Leinart for the starting job.

Arizona has apparently “lost out” on Charlie Whitehurst, who has been said to prefer to go to the Seattle Seahawks.

The exodus out of the desert continued late last evening, with wide receiver Jerheme Urban leaving the Cardinals to sign with the Chiefs. The story was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. No terms have been released as of yet.

Urban was likely swayed by his former coach, Todd Haley, who is now in his second season as head coach in Kansas City. He’ll join a receiving corps that was lackluster at best last season, and could push for playing time from day one depending on what the Chiefs choose to do in next month’s draft.

After giving fellow quarterback Derek Anderson his pink slip yesterday, and with the acquisition of former Seahawks backup Seneca Wallace, the Browns are actively shopping Brady Quinn around the league, according to numerous league sources.

As I previously speculated in a separate post, this news indicates that Homgren is not comfortable having Quinn as the starter at quarterback and would prefer to bring in a player familiar with the West Coast offense that his teams employ.

The difference between Quinn and Anderson is that the Browns will not simply release him onto the open market. Given Quinn’s reasonable salary and higher trade value, he will almost certainly be in a Browns uniform next fall, if Cleveland is unable to reach an agreement with a suitor for his services.

As previously noted here at NFLNR, Derek Anderson has a pair of visits scheduled with NFC West teams; the Seattle Seahawks,  and then the Arizona Cardinals.

One day removed from his release from quarterback purgatory in Cleveland, Derek Anderson is set to embark on his first free agent visit, taking a trip to Seattle tomorrow, according to ESPN’s James Walker.

Anderson spent most of yesterday afternoon ripping into his former club and city, saying the “fans are ruthless and don’t deserve a championship,” and that ”I’ll never forget getting cheered when I was injured.” Anderson backed off those comments later on, in a miniature mea culpa sent to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, and seems to be content now to explore his new found status as an unrestricted free agent on the open market.

Another team that will likely make a push to sign Anderson is the Cardinals, who currently are lacking in the quarterback department somewhat, with Kurt Warner retired and Matt Leinart unproven as the starter. While it’s doubtful that Anderson would be able to unseat Leinart in the starting role before the start of the season, he would be a valuable backup should Leinart falter as he has in the past.

Heading into the free agency period yesterday, Arizona knew they were going to have problems next year at safety if they didn’t make a move. But after watching their offer to bring back Antrel Rolle fall by the wayside, the Cards wasted little time in striking a deal with the Jets to get Kerry Rhodes in the fold.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New York agreed to trade away Rhodes to Arizona after the Cardinals offered up a fourth round pick in this year’s draft and a seventh round selection in the 2011 class. No word yet on whether they’ll make a push to extend Rhodes’ contract, but given that there’s still three seasons remaining on it, there’s no rush to get anything done.

Rhodes had made several public comments indicating he was looking to get away from the Jets this off-season, and while New York stayed quiet on that front for the most part, it seemed as though it was just a matter of time before this deal or something similar went down.

Fri @ 5:25 pm – Boldin will get a new contract as well, according to Schefter… four years, $28 million

5:22 pm – The deal is all but done. Baltimore is sending their 3rd and 4th round picks in this year’s draft to Arizona and will receive Boldin plus the Cardinals’ fifth round selection. Ravens receiving corps now looks to be fairly solid with Boldin, Mason, Stallworth, and Clayton.

4:40 pm – Apparently, the Pats involvement was minimal at best. It’s now down to the Chiefs and the Ravens according to multiple sources.

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King is saying the Ravens are close to pulling it off and Baltimore Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley agrees, saying it will likely be for a third round pick in this year’s draft. No word on what the Chiefs are offering.

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Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin is no stranger to off-season trade discussions, having pushed for his team to deal him elsewhere multiple times in absence of a new contract to pay him a similar amount of money as his counterpart Larry Fitzgerald.

Up to now though, Arizona has been unwilling to part with Boldin, preferring instead to let him brood quietly in the locker room over his salary concerns while he puts up solid numbers on the field. All of that could change in the near future, as the word on the street is that multiple teams are eyeing a potential trade offer to acquire Boldin, and depending on the price, a deal could be struck this off-season to send the receiver packing for a new home.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are apparently okay with the idea of sending a third round selection in this year’s draft to obtain Boldin, and talks between the two sides could start up fairly soon. Obviously, it’s still early in the process and much of the talk surrounding a trade of Boldin is still speculation, but there seems to be a definite consensus among league insiders that this is the year that Boldin finally gets dealt.

Other potential suitors for Boldin’s services include Kansas City, Baltimore, Chicago, New England, and Detroit, with the Chiefs being the most likely destination given head coach Todd Haley’s previous relationship with Boldin in Arizona.

Game Recap: Arizona 24 – New York Giants 17

Known more for their offensive firepower than an overwhelming defense, the Cardinals flipped the script on Sunday night, bringing relentless pressure and forcing four turnovers in a season defining victory at the Meadowlands over the Giants.

Coming off a tough road loss last week in New Orleans, few expected a second straight defeat for New York, but the G-Men looked lost from the very beginning, especially on offense. QB Eli Manning had three interceptions and WR Mario Manningham dropped a sure touchdown pass late in the game, giving voice to critics that have called for his benching in favor of rookie WR Hakeem Nicks. Nicks scored for the fourth time in four games on the game’s craziest play, snatching a deflected pass in stride and racing 62 yards into the end zone to take a 14-7 lead.

The Cardinals switched fronts and formations with reckless abandon all night long, confusing New York’s offense and making it difficult for them to get into the rhythm they usually enjoy against lesser opponents.

“We feel like we’ve got one of the best defenses in the league. It’s tough for teams to move the ball on them, let alone score on them.” - Arizona WR Anquan Boldin

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Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic is reporting that Cardinals TE Steven Spach will be out indefinitely after he suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win against the Houston Texans. Spach hasn’t really been a factor in Arizona’s offense, but it’s still one less weapon for QB Kurt Warner to use.

As always, we’ll keep you posted once more information becomes available.