Reports: Cardinals on verge of signing Iupati, Weatherspoon
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said he was going to be aggressive in free agency. If reports are to be believed, he is off to a good start.
Multiple reports have the Cardinals agreeing to separate deals with three-time Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati and inside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, whose deal is reportedly for one year and just shy of $4 million. Players can't officially sign until Tuesday at 1 p.m. so there remains the possibility one or both could back out of their deal, as running back Frank Gore did with the Eagles on Monday.
The Cardinals also re-signed nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu on Monday to protect themselves against the expected loss of Dan Williams in free agency.
Iupati is widely considered the top interior lineman on the market. His forte is run blocking. With his help, the 49ers finished among the league's top four rushing teams in each of the past three seasons.
With 2013 first-round pick Jonathan Cooper also expected to start at guard, the Cardinals will have to move one of the two left guards to the right side, assuming Cooper finally wins a starting spot. Cooper got some work on the right side last season and would be the logical choice.
The Cardinals also have 2014 starter Ted Larsen available at guard. He could battle Lyle Sendlein for center if the Cardinals choose to keep Sendlein, who carries a $4.275 cap hit in the final season of his contract while Larsen's is $2.435 million.
Iupati was the 49ers' first-round pick in 2010 (17th overall). He wasn't expected to return to San Francisco, but losing him to an NFC West rival has to sting a little bit -- kind of like what losing Darnell Dockett did for Cardinals coach Bruce Arians.
It wasn't a good day for the 49ers. Multiple reports have star inside linebacker Patrick Willis set to retire, with defensive lineman Justin Smith possibly joining him. Gore is set to sign elsewhere. And news broke that fullback Bruce Miller was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of domestic abuse in Santa Clara.
In Weatherspoon, the Cardinals would gain much needed help at inside linebacker (he can also play outside). The Falcons' first-round pick in 2010 (19th overall) missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon and played only seven games in 2013. In four seasons of competition, he has 290 combined tackles (212 solos). If healthy, he can provide the kind of run-stuffing ability the team expected of 2013 second-round pick Kevin Minter, who still hasn't justified his draft status.
The Cardinals don't know if or when Daryl Washington will return from a year-long suspension for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. Washington also has a domestic incident for which he has not yet been suspended.
The Cardinals also figure to be without the services of 2014 starter Larry Foote, who is expected to join the coaching staff.
Among the other positions the Cardinals could still be eyeing in free agency are center, cornerback, outside linebacker and defensive line.