The Matt Leinart era in Arizona -- an era that really never started after his selection as the 10th overall pick in 2006 -- ended on Saturday when the Cardinals released the quarterback.

Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, was cut after an offseason on which much of the public focus around the team centered on whether he could replace the retired Kurt Warner as the team's starter.

Instead, free-agent pickup Derek Anderson, who was cut by the Cleveland Browns last winter, will become the new starter as Leinart goes looking for work.

"For both parties," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "this was the best direction to go."

The Seattle Seahawks also cut loose a big name on Saturday when they parted ways with WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The former Pro Bowler played just one year in Seattle after signing a five-year, $40 million contract with $15 million guaranteed in early 2009.

It is believed the Cardinals and Seahawks both tried to trade their now-former players, but found no takers.

Leinart's situation exploded in the last week when he said Monday that he had "outplayed the competition" and deserved to be the team's starter. Despite having seemingly better statistics than Anderson, there was concern about Leinart's leadership abilities and how effective he could be in a downfield passing game.

The Cardinals will keep two rookie quarterbacks -- Max Hall, who will back up Anderson, and John Skelton.

"This is as much Max Hall as it is Leinart," Whisenhunt told NBC Sports' Peter King.

Among other notable roster cuts and decisions around the NFL on Saturday, when teams had to trim their rosters to the 53-man limit:

-- The St. Louis Rams named No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford their starting QB. Bradford had played very well in the past two preseason games.

-- The Washington Redskins cut two-time Pro Bowl RB Willie Parker. He was the odd man out in a three-man competition among veteran tailbacks with Larry Johnson and Clinton Portis.

-- The Miami Dolphins cut QB Pat White, their second-round draft pick in 2009. White went to Miami amid expectations that he would become a key part of the team's Wildcat offense, but he never found a niche.

-- The Pittsburgh Steelers cut veteran center Justin Hartwig, who started all 32 games for the team the past two years. Hartwig was cut after losing his job to rookie first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey.

-- The Baltimore Ravens cut former Heisman Trophy-winning QB Troy Smith. Smith had been a backup since arriving in Baltimore, but lost out on a roster spot to former Rams starter Marc Bulger.

-- The Ravens also formally placed S Ed Reed on the PUP list, which makes him ineligible for the first six games.

-- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut WR Michael Clayton. Drafted 15th overall in 2004, Clayton has played his entire career in Tampa but hadn't reached more than 1,000 receiving yards since his rookie season.

-- The Philadelphia Eagles traded OL Stacy Andrews to the Seahawks for a 2011 conditional draft pick, and Eagles GM Howie Roseman indicated Andrews would likely play tackle in Seattle. The Eagles also traded LB Tracy White to the New England Patriots for a conditional 2012 draft choice.

-- The Minnesota Vikings cut veteran WR Javon Walker. A partner of Brett Favre in Green Bay from 2002-2005, Walker, 31, played in just three games for the Oakland Raiders last year.

-- The Detroit Lions cut two-time Pro Bowl CB Dre' Bly. Bly had rejoined the Lions after spending the 2007-08 seasons in Denver and last season in San Francisco. The 11-year veteran was a Pro Bowler in 2003 and 2004.

-- The Tennessee Titans cut QB Chris Simms and DE Raheem Brock. A former Indianapolis Colts player, Brock had said he was hoping to hit Colts QB Peyton Manning this season.

-- The Kansas City Chiefs traded S Jarrad Page to the New England Patriots for a conditional draft pick in 2012, ESPN reported. Page didn't join the Chiefs on Friday after he signed his restricted free agent tender.

-- The Cincinnati Bengals acquired S Reggie Nelson in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bengals sent CB David Jones and a conditional draft choice back to Jacksonsville for Nelson, a first-round pick in 2007.

-- The Denver Broncos traded 2009 second-round pick CB Alphonso Smith to the Detroit Lions for TE Dan Gronkowski. The Broncos had traded a 2010 first-round pick in order to select Smith with the 37th overall selection.

-- The Broncos also cut DE Jarvis Green, whom they had signed to a four-year deal March. Green never ended up playing a game for the Broncos, but the Denver Post reported the team still owes him about $3.3 million.

-- The Broncos also placed WR Brandon Stokley on injured reserve. But the team said that it would release the 11-year veteran when he is healthy.

-- The New England Patriots cut LB Derrick Burgess, ESPN reported. Burgess, an eight-year veteran, didn't report to training camp until mid-August.

-- The Buffalo Bills cut WR James Hardy, a second-round pick in 2008. Hardy played in just 16 games in two seasons, including two last year.

-- The Cincinnati Bengals cut WR Matt Jones, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Jones, a 2005 first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, had signed with the Benagls in the offseason.

-- The San Diego Chargers cut WR Josh Reed, whom they had signed this summer, one day after acquiring WR Patrick Crayton in a trade with Dallas.

-- By Sean Leahy