Dwight Freeney exceeded expectations for the Cardinals last season—the same thing he's done basically his entire career (and why he'll enter the Hall of Fame). He played in 11 games and had eight sacks and three forced fumbles. In Week 16, he had three sacks alone.
But he knows that might not have been enough to earn him another year in Arizona.
Freeney said the "writing was on the wall" when the Cardinals traded for defensive end Chandler Jones in March. "It was a good move for Arizona, but not so much for me," said Freeney, laughing.