Dan Bickley

azcentral sports

The Suns had a sales pitch ready for LeBron James. Will the Cardinals do the same with Tom Brady and the Patriots?

Don't laugh. The idea is starting to take flight.

Smart football observers are taking note of Brady's simmering unhappiness in New England. There have been unconfirmed reports of a rift between him and management. Some have pointed to Denver's commitment to Peyton Manning as the tipping point for the Patriots star.

While the Broncos have surrounded Manning with a wealth of options, Brady has very little to work with in New England. And earlier this morning, a national commentator referenced the Cardinals and Rams as teams that could actually pull off a trade for Brady, who turned 37 in August.

You'd have to like our chances in that derby.

Clearly, there are more topical issues at hand, like who will be playing quarterback for the Cardinals this weekend. But soon, the team must decide whether Carson Palmer is worth a pricey extension. He has one year and $12 million left on his contract, which is entirely voidable.

Would you rather have Brady, who has three years and $24 million left on his contract?

If you know anything General Manager Steve Keim and Head Coach Bruce Arians, you know they'll be monitoring the situation closely.

"There isn't a player in the NFL I wouldn't consider," Keim said. "If it's somebody who is going to make us better, I'm going to be aggressive."

Folly? Probably.

Legend has it that Joe Montana once came to their Tempe headquarters for a visit in 1993, only to find the doors to the complex locked, and no one that could find a key.

He shrugged it off and signed with Kansas City.

More recently, Manning came through town on a leverage play before signing with Denver, fooling a few people along the way.

But this is a different regime, a different era The Cardinals are big-chip players like never before. Are they imagining Brady returning to the stadium where he suffered his most excruciating loss, a Super Bowl defeat that kept him from an unbeaten season?

I am.

How about you?

For more from The Heat Index, go to heatindex.azcentral.com.