GM Steve Keim: Darnell Dockett wants to remain an Arizona Cardinal

Tuesday morning, Michael Bidwill said his goal is to have Darnell Dockett retire as an Arizona Cardinal.

Dockett, 33, is set to enter the final year of a contract that will see him carry a cap hit of $9.8 million.

That would be a hefty price to pay any defensive lineman of Dockett’s age, but when you factor in that he missed the entire 2014 season with a torn ACL, it’s understandable why the Cardinals would like to re-work his deal.

But of course, if the sides cannot agree to a new contract, that could mean the end of Dockett’s time in Arizona. That, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim admitted, is a possibility.

“I think there’s always a chance, but that’s not our intention,” Keim told Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Tuesday afternoon.

Keim referenced what the team recently went through with Larry Fitzgerald as a similar situation to what is happening with Dockett. The receiver was set to count nearly $24 million against Arizona’s 2015 cap, but he and the team were able to work out a deal that will keep the wideout in Arizona for at least the next two seasons.

“We need Darnell to give us a little help from a cap standpoint to try to get a little more aggressive around him, to get some players in free agency,” Keim added. “And we would still love to have him retire a Cardinal.

“Last week at the Combine in Indianapolis (we) had some good dialogue with Drew Rosenhaus (Dockett’s agent), but at this point, there’s no deal that’s imminent.”

Beginning March 7, teams will be able to begin contract negotiations with free agents. On March 10, teams will be able to sign said free agents. In theory, if the Cardinals are looking toward Dockett to help them clear some cap space, a loose deadline may be in a couple of weeks.

But while no deal may be imminent, Keim said his discussions with Dockett have been going well.

“I had a conversation with Darnell directly and he made it very clear that he wants to remain a Cardinal,” Keim said. “It’s no different from any negotiation; it takes two sides to come to an agreement where both sides are happy.

“It can take a couple days, it could take a few weeks. Hopefully we’ll get something in place.”

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