Phil Simms, released by the New York Giants last summer in a salary-cap move, priced himself out of a chance to resume his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
“We just can’t afford him,” Cardinals coach Buddy Ryan said. “It’s like when you want a new set of curtains and you can’t do it. It doesn’t matter how much you want them. . . . He wants more money than we’ve got.”
Simms, 38, is now a commentator for ESPN. He said Sunday on the network’s NFL pregame show that he remained intrigued by the chance to join the Cardinals.
“I’m waiting to see if they’ll make me an offer I can’t refuse,” he said.
The answer was no, they wouldn’t.
But Ryan insisted his interest in Simms, whom he had bad-mouthed a few weeks before, had been genuine. He also said the team’s finances are a genuine conceern.
“All he’s got to do is check with the players association to see how much money we’ve got,” Ryan said.
Also Monday, the Cardinals signed free-agent running back Barry Word.
