Is the Price Right for a Kolb Trade?
By author
As we all know, Kevin Kolb has basically been shipped to Arizona. They probably already have a jersey waiting for him and he’s most likely got a house lined up in Phoenix. All joking aside, this deal is bound to happen at some point.
Throughout the entire lockout the rumor with the most legs in the league has been Kolb to the Cardinals. The main question is what the Eagles will receive in return, and if it would be worth losing one of the most valuable backup QBs in the league.
Many rumors have been swirling that for some unknown reason, the Cardinals would give up Patrick Peterson for Kolb. Ok, so lets think this out logically. Arizona is going to give up the 5th pick in the draft and who is highly regarded as the best rookie prospect coming into the league this year for a basically unproven 4-year backup, just because Larry Fitzgerald likes him. This would be a bad deal for Arizona and a gift from the football gods for the Eagles and I would welcome it with open arms.
I would be a little bit more hesitant if the deal was for someone like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Who, although one of the fastest players in the league who has shown some flashes of becoming a good cornerback, including making a Pro Bowl in 2009, he isn’t near the prospect that Peterson is. Rodgers-Cromartie with a draft pick (preferably a second or third) would be the deal that I can see happening the most. He would be the second cornerback behind Asante Samuel.
Don’t get me wrong; Rodgers-Cromartie would be a meteoric upgrade over the likes of Dimitri Patterson or Joselio Hanson who are both career nickel and dime corners. I am on board with this trade as long as the Eagles can find a substantial backup. I’m not sure Mike Kafka is the answer when Michael Vick rolls his ankle in week 7. We all keep forgetting that Kolb is under contract for this one more season. Yes, the chance to get a young talented cornerback and/or a draft pick for him would be out the window because he would walk after the season. But if the Eagles don’t do anything about the backup quarterback, or lack there of, this deal could backfire on them.
Now, moving onto the Cardinals side of the deal. Apparently they value Kolb and his FedEx Air Player of the Week award as much as Andy Reid has for the past four years. They have been desperate for a franchise caliber type quarterback since Kurt Warner retired. They’ve been looking for someone or anyone to get Larry Fitzgerald the ball. Kolb could be the guy and according to many rumors, he’s the one they are willing to hedge all of their bets with.
The question for them becomes: How much do we pay the guy? He’s done nothing for the most part. He’s started less than half of a season in his entire career. Yes, he has looked impressive at times, but has also looked pedestrian at times. So what do you give a second round pick, career backup?
Guys like Matt Schaub and Matt Cassel turned backup careers into 6-year deals worth 48 and 62 million dollar deals respectively. Kevin Kolb is going to make 50 million dollars over 6 years for being a backup for 4 years? That’s incredible to even think about. But the value on him is much higher than it will ever be.
The Cardinals are willing to outbid other teams like the Seahawks by giving up a young, talented cornerback and hopefully draft picks. We can be hopeful that this all works out, yet also be a bit apprehensive given the backup quarterback situation and Vick’s fragile, franchise body. Kevin Kolb has been a good teammate and person since he arrived here. So I wish him nothing but luck in his rumored Arizona career.
This article comes courtesy of ITI’s newest correspondent, Mike Seay. Mike’s a Penn State grad and a life-long Philly native.