Video: Kurt Warner not able to join the Arizona Cardinals

He thought about it but in the end former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner would not have returned, at least in 2014

Kurt Warner likes to tease apparently.  Does he not like Arizona Cardinals fans that much?  Well, he was on the air again this morning on The Dan Patrick Show and said he gave a return to the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals a serious thought when the Cardinals lost Drew Stanton after losing Carson Palmer.

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However, per NFL rules, a return in December would not have been feasible.  Any reserve/retired players that want to join an NFL roster must have done so by November 28th.  Stanton did not go down until December 11th.

So, there was Warner this morning saying he had talked it over with his family and had thought about a possible return.  A few weeks ago he also told us he thought about returning and felt it would have been too hard to come off the couch after five years.  He wasn’t in football shape.  No doubt he could still read defenses and throw a football.

What Warner must not have also known was that even if this had all happened in November, the Cardinals would have had to waive him first and clear waivers.  That is something I think someone would have prevented the Cardinals from doing.  Someone would have been willing to use up a roster spot to make sure the Cardinals didn’t get Warner back.

This brings us back to the fantasy part of the program.  Although Warner told Patrick this morning that had the Cardinals called him he would have given it some serious thought, the Cardinals probably knew what the rules were in regards to bringing him back, therefore decided not to call.  We will never know for sure why the Cardinals didn’t pick up the phone but that’s a pretty good guess as to why.

I know fans really wanted Warner back.  Some kid around anytime something happens to a Cardinals quarterback but there are those are are truly serious.  Cardinals fans have been asking for him to come back for years.  Let’s be real though.  He’s 43, been out of football for five years now.  His last game was in January 2010.  It could have turned out ugly had he attempted a comeback and that was the biggest concern Warner had.  He didn’t want to come in and mess up what the Cardinals already had.

Next time you want your favorite retired star to return just think about those pesky NFL rules.  They always seem to get in the way of a fan’s dream.