The Arizona Cardinals are trying to get free agent inside linebacker Karlos Dansby to put ink to paper to stay with the team. One sports writer in Arizona think the Cardinals can’t afford to lose Dansby.

From Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic:

If both sides are reasonable, this deal should get done. The Cardinals can’t afford to lose Dansby, even though they drafted Kevin Minter in the second-round a year ago. And Dansby should know that Arizona is the best spot for him at this point in his career. A two-year deal worth a total of $10 million to $12 million, with, say, $6 million guaranteed seems reasonable.

Dansby played last year under a one-year $2.25 million contract so that proposed deal would be a significant pay raise for Dansby. The challenge Somers describes is trying to find a middle ground between rewarding a player in his early 30s who is still producing but facing the impending twilight years of his career.