Kurt Warner might have decided against a signing with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday that could have net him a rich two-year contract. While he’s thinking over a more lucrative offer by the 49ers, Kurt Warner asked the Cardinals to give them a chance to sign him at a discount. Warner instructed his agent, Mark Bartelstein, to make a two-year, $23 million proposal to stay with the Cardinals. According to Bartelstein, Warner’s proposal would include $12 million in guarantees, $6 million each season.

To enhance the deal to the Cardinals further, Warner is willing to reduce his contract by $1 million a year if they can successfully renegotiate the contract of wide receiver Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals improved their proposal to Warner that had been stalled for more than a week at two years and $20 million. The Cardinals are ready to give him $23 million over the next two seasons, but they are making up for the difference with several incentives.

Warner was the lifeblood that led Arizona to an unexpected run to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals had playoff victories over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia before a 27-23 loss to at the Super Bowl. Warner completed 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns against the Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes improvised the 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a record-setting sixth Super Bowl victory, 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.

“Great players step up in big-time games to make plays,” said Holmes, the game’s MVP. He said he told Roethlisberger that he “wanted to be the guy to make the plays for this team.”

The Steelers (15-4), winning their second Super Bowl in four seasons, led 20-7 in the fourth quarter, only to see Warner and the Cardinals stage a remarkable rally to go in front 23-20 with 2:37 remaining.

Roethlisberger and Holmes nailed it home, and when Warner fumbled in the final seconds, the Cardinals’ chance of winning their first NFL crown since 1947 was gone. The Cardinals (12-8), playing in their first Super Bowl since 1948, lost their cool after Harrison’s big play. They had three penalties to keep Pittsburgh’s 79-yard drive going, a 16-play march that ended with Jeff Reed’s 21-yard field goal for a 20-7 lead.