Mike Iupati, Arizona Cardinals Agree to Deal; Grade and Analysis

October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati (77) lines up during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi

Earlier in the week the San Fransisco 49ers signed a former Arizona Cardinals star, now the Cardinals are returning the favor by agreeing to terms with Mike Iupati.

Only moments ago, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had this to say regarding Iupati’s situation:

Though it had been reported that the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets were the leading contenders to sign Iupati, in the end, he opted to join his division rival.

The Cardinals have had back-to-back winning seasons and were leading the very competitive NFC West until Carson Palmer went down with a season-ending injury.

For more on Iupati’s NFL career , here is a bio blast from NFL Mocks:

"Iupati was the 49ers first round selection, 17th overall, in the 2010 NFL Draft. Since being drafted, Iupati has been a mainstay for the 49ers at the guard during his time in the Bay Area. Iupati has played in both a traditional offense, when Alex Smith was quarterbacking the team, and a zone read offense, with Colin Kaepernick at the helm. He is a big man, measuring in at 6’5″ and 331 lbs, however don’t let his size fool you — he’s very athletic in space! Iupati will be turning 28 this May, meaning he is still in the prime of his career. Iupati will be able to help any team that is in search of an All-Pro guard and any quarterback or running back in the league would love to have this mauler blocking for them."

The Cardinals offensive line has improved steadily each year and with the addition of Iupati, it just took another jump in the right direction. Iupati will most likely slot in as the right guard next season, helping the aging Palmer.

Grade: B

I want to give this deal an A, but until the details are out, I’m going to stick with a B. Stealing a big-time player from a division rival is always huge. This was a strong, early showing for San Fran.

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