Eagles give Kolb 1-year contract extension

NOW ROY and Lanell Kolb don't have to worry about whether they can afford to travel to all the games.

When Kevin Kolb's father talked to the Daily News a few weeks back, he expressed the hope that he and Kevin's mom could make it up from Texas for every Eagles contest this season, their son's first as the team's designated starting quarterback. Roy said he would have to see what the budget could accommodate.

Yesterday, Kevin Kolb laughed when someone reminded him of his dad's prudence; Kevin agreed that his new, $12.26 million guarantee for a contract extension through the 2011 season will ease those concerns considerably.

"It's been a good month. Named the starting quarterback, contract extension and, of course, the baby [daughter Atley Rose, born April 9]. So, it's been a whirlwind," Kolb said at a late-afternoon news conference. "I know there's a lot of responsibility and a lot of things to come with it, but I'm excited about it and looking forward to it."

Agent Jeff Nalley estimated that with a signing bonus in the $10 million-plus range, his client will rank somewhere around seventh or eighth among the best-paid quarterbacks in the NFL this season, which is a lovely neighborhood for a QB with two career starts under his belt.

Nalley and Eagles president Joe Banner said a long-term extension was impossible, because of the 30 percent rule that applies to extensions, now that the collective bargaining agreement has expired. The Eagles could give as much of a signing bonus as they wanted, but salary increases were limited to 30 percent per year, and Kolb's base pay for 2010 was going to be $550,000. The sides will hope there is a CBA in place in a year, when they are allowed to revisit the issue.

The deal reinforces the Eagles' commitment to Donovan McNabb's successor, paying him slightly more, Nalley said, than McNabb was scheduled to make this season in the final year of the contract the Eagles reworked last June. That probably isn't a coincidence, any more than was the announcement of Kolb's reworked deal coming on the afternoon the team's largest draft class in nearly a quarter-century checked in for the start of today's first minicamp.

"It's a new team, a new year," defensive end Trent Cole said yesterday, before the Kolb extension announcement. "Seems like it's a new start for us."

Kolb was asked about that feeling yesterday.

"It does feel very special. I don't think it's just because now I'm the starter, I think everybody can kind of sense that there's this united feeling between everybody," he said. "We're all kind of young, and even though we haven't hit the field together yet as a core group, you can just kind of sense that - hey, man, we have this energy that we're just going to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong."

It's still less than 4 weeks since the Eagles traded McNabb to Washington. Somehow, it seems longer.

"They've been a whirlwind, but it's been fun. Now that I'm back in the groove of being the starter and dealing with things and getting this out of the way, it feels right," Kolb said. "Everything has felt right up to this point, and I know that it will in the future. I'm very comfortable here, very comfortable in the city of Philadelphia, and nobody is more excited than me and my wife for hopefully sticking around here for a long time."

The Eagles didn't want Kolb to play out his contract this season; they like to be in the driver's seat in negotiations, and if Kolb were to play well and then not agree to their terms on an extension, they would have to franchise him to keep him for 2011. Kolb, meanwhile, was looking at being the NFL's lowest-paid starter this season, and if he suffered a serious injury, not being assured of a future payday.

"If the current CBA rules weren't in place, I think the goal would have been to do a long-term deal, on both sides," Nalley said. "But the rules are what they are, so both sides did something that satisfied the needs of both parties."

Nalley said he sees the $12.26 million as a sort of "reverse franchise tag," close to what that number might be for 2011, if Oakland cuts JaMarcus Russell and other deals remain in line with the 30 percent rule.

"They have no chance of losing him after this year," with the extension in place, Nalley said, and "Kevin had no desire to go anywhere [else] after this year."

"Yeah, it's an interesting time; [doing a 1-year extension was] just a way for us to bridge the gap," Kolb said. "I want to be here long-term, I think the Eagles want me to be here long-term, but there's just really no way to get it done right now, and this is a way for both sides to be happy, and I am very happy."

None of the brass descended to the NovaCare auditorium for Kolb's news conference, but Eagles coach Andy Reid, general manager Howie Roseman and team president Joe Banner expressed their happiness in statements released by the team.

"We're happy to have Kevin under contract for the next two seasons," Reid said. "When given the chance, Kevin has proven to have good command of this offense, and we're looking forward to having him operate as the No. 1 quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles."

Roseman said: "We're excited about what we've seen from Kevin during his three seasons in Philadelphia, both on and off the field. We're happy to get this contract in place for the near future, and are looking forward to keeping Kevin in Philadelphia for many more years to come."

Banner, who confirmed both sides would have liked to do a longer deal, thanked Kolb and Nalley and said: "We're very happy with Kevin and all the attributes he brings to this organization, and we're pleased to sign another young, ascending player to a contract. It's something that this organization has prioritized over the last several years."

Kolb was asked if he feels jitters, as he prepares to take the helm today.

"I feel very confident right now. I feel like with a lot of the young guys, they don't need jitters, they need somebody as a calming hand there," he said. "Even though I'm just going into my fourth year, I feel like I've been around as long as a lot of these guys. I look forward to helping them get lined up in the right situation and provide as much experience and knowledge about what we're trying to do as anybody else out there."

Kolb was asked what he might splurge on, with the big signing bonus, other than air transportation for his parents. He likes bass fishing. Will he buy a fancy bass boat?

"I already have a bass boat," he said. "Really, there's not much I want that I don't have. Except a Super Bowl. A Super Bowl would be nice."

First-round rookie defensive end Brandon Graham will wear Jeremiah Trotter's old No. 54, which is close to his Michigan number, 55, taken on the Eagles by Stewart Bradley . . . Graham was asked about playing with Trent Cole, by defensive end turned TV reporter Hugh Douglas, as Cole walked up to a gaggle of reporters and introduced himself to the rookie. "That boy gets it done," Graham said of Cole. "I'm happy to come in and help him out" . . . Seventh-round safety Kurt Coleman played at Ohio State with Graham's cousin, safety Aaron Gant.

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.