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A slew of easy jokes surfaces right along with Post-Gazette reports that the Cardinals are interested in free agent running back Rashard Mendenhall. There's the obvious Steelers West references - although their alleged interest in Ramon Foster never came to pass.
Then there's the fact head coach Bruce Arians didn't seem to have interest in Rashard Mendenhall for much of the time Arians was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator. Arians was infamously reined in and allegedly told to run the ball more after a disastrous 2009 season. The Steelers rode Mendenhall all the way through three quarters of the Super Bowl that year. Then you know what happened. We're not going to talk about that today.
The fact the Post-Gazette report is buried at the bottom of their story about the Steelers re-signing Ramon Foster, and it mentions the Broncos and Cardinals as having interest - leaving off Miami, who was the first team to allegedly show interest in Mendenhall is interesting. Almost seems like a typo, or at least something they're so used to reporting, it comes naturally.
But the Cardinals just released running back Beanie Wells and it seems as if RB LaRod Stephens-Howling will be leaving town too. It doesn't seem a stretch to think they have at least some interest.
They are reportedly pursuing RB Reggie Bush as well.
Players are allowed to begin signing contracts at 4 p.m. ET today, and the Steelers are expected to lose Mendenhall, wide receiver Mike Wallace and cornerback Keenan Lewis - according to the Post-Gazette.