Thursday was a memorable day for defensive end Antonio Smith. He, along with cornerback Eric Green, got a high tender offer of $2 million for the 2008 season. 

The offers to the restricted free agents mean any other team that wants to offer them a contract would have to give the Cardinals a first-round draft pick as compensation.

And that means Green and Smith will be staying put.

Smith had indicated he expected a middle tender offer, which would have paid him $1.4 million and required a second-round pick as compensation.

The Cardinals also confirmed their low tender offer of $927,000 to offensive lineman Elton Brown.

The Cardinals did not offer tenders to linebacker Darryl Blackstock, receiver Jerheme Urban, tight end Tim Euhus and receiver Ahmad Merritt.

They could still make offers to these players for the minimum salary of $520,000.

The Cardinals also extended offers to a trio of first-year players for whom the Cardinals hold exclusive rights: cornerback Michael Adams, tight end Troy Bienemann and wide receiver
Jamaica Rector.

Still no word the the big continuing story: the contract negotiations between the Cardinals and Larry Fit

The two sides have been negotiating a long-term contract. Unless they reach an agreement, Fitzgerald will count about $16.5 million on the salary cap for the upcoming season because of incentives he reached on his rookie contract.

The Cardinals want a new deal to bring that number down.

With the uncertainty, linebacker Calvin Pace and receiver Bryant Johnson are set to become free agents Thursday night.

The Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald continue to negotiate.

The best guess here: They come out with a five-year deal, with Fitzgerald getting about $30 million in guaranteed money, maybe a little more.

Until they can get it done, though, the Cardinals aren’t really players in the free-agent market that opens at about 10 p.m. Thursday night.

That’s because Fitzgerald is owed about $32 million over the next two seasons, even more for salary-cap purposes, because of incentives he earned in his rookie contract.

That’s why the Cardinals are negotiating a new deal. 

So, they are taking care of smaller matters:

– The Cardinals have made the low one-year tender offer of about $920,000 to offensive lineman Elton Brown, Chuck Price, Brown’s agent said.

– The Cardinals did not make a one-year tender offer to defensive end/linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who played fairly well down the season’s stretch after Bertrand Berry’s season-ending injury.

“They have a lot of cap problems,” said Blackstock’s agent, Brad Blank, who indicated he was surprised by the Cardinal’s decision.

“It’s kind of hard to pay a guy even the amount of the tender offer when you have other guys straining your cap.” 

– Defensive lineman Antonio Smith indicated he expected to get the one-year middle tender offer from the Cardinals but he hadn’t been officially notified.

Also, they may re-sign Joe Tafoya, who also filled in nicely after the injury to Berry, Tafoya’s agent said.

“They’ve expressed an interest in bringing him back,” Rick Smith said.

 Nothing is wrong with Matt Leinart’s knees after all.

“Zero,” says Chuck Price, Leinart’s agent, refuting rumors that the Cardinals’ quarterback was about to visit Dr. James Andrews, the renowned sports doctor in Birmingham, Ala, for a look at a sore knee.

Actually, Price said, another of his Cardinal clients, offensive lineman Elton Brown, is going to visit Andrews for a sore knee.

“But nothing is wrong with Matt.”

Leinart wears a brace for practices and games, but not off the field, he said.

ALL FOOTBALL
Leinart has a renewed focus for the upcoming season, the agent said.

“It’s all football.”

Price acknowledged that Leinart suffered from distractions last season, including speculation about his personal life.

At training camp, Leinart, was the focus of media reports about his custody agreement with his former girlfriend, Brynn Cameron, over their son Cole.

After he got off to a sluggish start, Leinart complained about having to split time with Kurt Warner. When his comments surfaced publicly, he backed off.

Then, in October, he went down for the season with a broken clavicle in his throwing shoulder.

“The personal distractions in his life got the best of him,” Price said.

Now, Leinart is ready to go, physically and mentally.

Leinart is working out extensively and is throwing the football.

“His shoulder isn’t 100 percent, but it will be,” Price said. “He’s got a 100 percent clean bill of health.”

FRANCHISE TAG FOR DANSBY 

 The Cardinals are almost certain to use the franchise tag on linebacker Karlos Dansby, both team officials and Dansby’s agent have indicated.

 Then they’ll try to negotiate a long-term deal with him.

 If they can’t do a deal by July 15th, then Dansby will play for about $8 million in the upcoming season. 

 ROLLE TO SAFETY 

As we expected, Antrel Rolle is shifting from cornerback to safety.

That figures to increase speculation that the Cardinals will release safety Terrence Holt, who is owed a $1.5 million roster bonus if the Cardinals keep him.

Matt Leinart plans to see the world’s best-known sports doctor to check out a sore knee, according to XTRA Sports (910 AM).

An MRI revealed no structural damage, Mike Jurecki reported, but Leinart wanted to get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala.

 At worst, Leinart expects some loose particles to be found, perhaps resulting in arthroscopic surgery that would keep him out of football activities for a few weeks, Jurecki reported.