Eagles' Kolb draws interest from Seattle, Minnesota

NEW ORLEANS - Kevin Kolb's availability has perked up ears in Minnesota and Seattle, backing the Eagles' assertion that there already is interest brewing in their backup quarterback.

"You have to consider a guy like Kevin if he becomes available. He'll be a part of the conversation as well if that were to occur," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings.

Seattle, which has the 25th overall pick, is considered a possible trading partner, a perception that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll did little to defuse.

"We want to compete at every single opportunity. That's one that's been out there," Carroll said. "Those kinds of discussions, it doesn't matter where it's coming from, we're trying to be privy to all of it."

The Seahawks were reportedly interested in Kolb last year. They ended up trading for Charlie Whitehurst, a backup whom the team preferred to a rookie because he had been in the NFL, Carroll said. The same situation would seem to apply to Kolb, who is far more highly regarded than Whitehurst.

"Anybody coming through Andy's program has been through a great system, great coaching and leadership," Carroll said, referring to Eagles coach Andy Reid. "That adds to the value of a player rather than a guy who is coming fresh out of college."

Reid compared Kolb to Matt Hasselbeck, a onetime Packers backup who took Seattle to the Super Bowl. When former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, a Reid mentor, asked about Hasselbeck, Reid told him Hasselbeck could "come in and help you win a championship."

"That's how I feel about Kevin Kolb," Reid said.

Frazier, a former Reid assistant, has the 12th pick in April's draft and has made it clear he's looking for a quarterback.

He mentioned the draft or free agency as options, but he also thinks highly of Kolb.

"He's a good young quarterback. There's a reason why they had him slated as the No. 1 guy going into training camp," Frazier said. "They saw some things in him they really liked, and I respect Andy and their staff tremendously, as you guys can imagine, having worked there."

Other coaches rumored to be potential trading partners were more circumspect. Arizona's Ken Wisenhunt and San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh both declined to comment, saying they wouldn't talk about a player under contract to another team.

Buffalo's Chan Gailey said, "We look at everything. We're not good enough that we can bypass any scenario."

Another former Eagles coach, Ron Rivera, has made it clear the Panthers will be eyeing the quarterback market. "We've got to look at all avenues," Rivera said.

Deals can't be finished until NFL business resumes, either through a court injunction or labor deal, but discussions are allowed for now.

Even if trades are barred through the draft, Reid didn't rule out a deal involving 2012 picks, though the Eagles would probably also want a player who could help immediately.

"A future pick, that doesn't bother me," Reid said. "Depends on what that pick is. Maybe there has to be something else involved with it, but that's all right."

The Eagles are said to have already received an offer of a first-round pick for Kolb, though it's not clear whether the deal would include other considerations, such as the Eagles giving up their top pick or other selections.

"We've had a number of people be very aggressive," Reid said Tuesday.

Has anyone been aggressive enough to inquire about starting quarterback Michael Vick?

"That's not where people are at right now. Really the focus is on Kevin," Reid said. But would he listen to offers for Vick? "I keep my ears open on everything. Right now, Michael's our quarterback."

Reid was noncommittal when asked whether Vick would get a long-term contract once the lockout ends.

"We'll see. We'll see how it all works out. All I can tell you is Michael's our quarterback right now, that's how I expect it to be," Reid said.