The Cardinals got a nice jump on their rookie contracts before members of the front office headed off on vacation.

Half of the eight-member draft class in under contract, with the top four picks remaining unsigned.

General manager Rod Graves is working on other fronts, too. He would like to get a deal done with inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, who is working under a franchise tag of $9.7 million.

The Cardinals have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal with Dansby. If they can't, Dansby is likely playing his last season in Arizona.

The Cardinals are unlikely to franchise him in 2010 because his tender would jump to about $14.5 million.

So far, there is no movement in negotiations so things would have to move quickly for a contract to be reached by ...More