Ted Ginn Shown Door By Arizona Cardinals
By Scott Allen
The writing was on the wall for Ted Ginn Jr. after a subpar season in Arizona
It was only a matter of time. The Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver/punt returner Ted Ginn Jr. on Monday. In making the move, the Cardinals save themselves $2.5 million against the 2015 salary cap. Don’t kid yourselves though. This wasn’t a cost-saving move.
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Ginn failed to produce the results the Cardinals thought they would get from Ginn in 2014. When he was signed in the offseason last year it was thought not only would he spell Patrick Peterson admirably as a punt returner but he’d also provide the Cardinals their number three receiver.
Ginn returned 26 punts for just 277 yards and one touchdown in 2014. His touchdown went for 71 yards, so he gained just 206 yards on the other 25 returns. His touchdown came against the New York Giants in week three and helped the Cardinals get a win in New York. After that he was silent for the most part in his special teams role.
He was even less productive as a receiver. He caught just 14 passes for 190 yards and no touchdowns. That is not the kind of production that will get you a new contract. Once the season ended, the writing was on the wall.
Yes, the move saves the Cardinals $2.5 million against the cap and that’s how the story has been spun today but the Cardinals clearly weren’t hurting for the $2.5 million. Problem was, Ginn wasn’t worth the $2.5 million in 2014. Now the Cardinals will be looking for another receiver to replace Ginn. Certainly the punt returner position needs filling as well.
In 2013 Ginn caught 36 passes for 556 yards and had five touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers. I’m guessing that’s the receiver the Cardinals had in mind along with the punt returner that had 466 punt return yards for the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and 1,433 and 1,296 kickoff return yards for the Miami Dolphins in 2007 and 2009. Ginn returned 22 kickoffs for just 417 yards for the Cardinals in 2014.
Ginn has been the reason I’ve been saying for the past seven weeks since the season ended that one of the top five needs for the Cardinals is finding another receiver. This move was certain to be made sooner or later. Now with free agency just a couple of weeks away, the Cardinals can go find themselves a decent receiver in a receiver-rich free agency market this year. If they don’t find one in free-agency then I’d look to the draft for the Cardinals to find their next new receiver.