The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Kevin Kolb will talk later this week about his contract, according to Adam Caplan of The Sideline View.
Cardinals, Kevin Kolb will discuss contract this week
Has Kolb played his last game as an Arizona Cardinal, or will he restructure his contract?
Kolb is due a $2 million bonus Saturday. The Cardinals said last month they would have to address Kolb’s contract. He is set to be a $13.5 million cap hit in 2013. He has four more years left on his six-year, $62.1 million contract he signed before the 2011 season.
The Cardinals know they have a lot of money tied up into a quarterback who has only played in 15 games over the last two seasons. In those games, Kolb has led the Cardinals to a 6-8 record and has completed just 58 percent of his passes for 3,124 yards. He’s thrown 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
When Kolb was acquired, many thought he'd be the future of the team. But injuries have derailed his progress. Last season, four different quarterbacks saw time taking snaps for the Cardinals. John Skelton played the most, throwing 201 passes over seven games. Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer also saw action.
Kolb, essentially, has no leverage in this situation. He hasn’t proved he can stay healthy and when he is on the field, he hasn’t been effective. The Cardinals could cut Kolb, save money and then select a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft. It might be the smartest option for a team looking to start fresh under new head coach Bruce Arians.
His health is the biggest factor in keeping Kolb, according to Tyler Nickel of Revenge of the Birds:
The Cardinals front office knows Kolb is better than all these [backups], too. That isn’t what it comes down to. It’s about whether he can stay healthy or not and give the Cards a decent amount of games every season. So far, he hasn’t been able to do that, which is why they are going to ask him to take a drastic pay cut. If he does not agree to do so, the Cardinals might have to turn to one of the lesser free agents or draft a young prospect.
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