Kolb-for-Rodgers-Cromartie trade done
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Kolb-for-Rodgers-Cromartie trade done
Jeff McLane
Kevin Kolb's time in Philadelphia has officially come to an end. (Matt Slocum/AP)
It's done.
Finally.
The Eagles have traded quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 second-round draft pick, the team announced, confirming a report intially obtained by John Clayton of ESPN.
The Cardinals ponied up to get Kolb, extending his contract five years for $63 million with over $20 million guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of FOXSports.com.
The trade ends one of the longest forecasted deals in perhaps NFL history. The two teams discussed the deal as far back as before the lockout.
The Kolb era in Philadelphia ends before it ever really got started. Selected in the second round of the 2007 draft, Kolb was finally handed the starting job last off-season after the Eagles traded away Donovan McNabb. But Kolb lost the job to Michael Vick by the third week after he suffered a concussion in the opener.
"I can't tell you I won't miss him as a person and as a player," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "I think he's very well-deserved of this opportunity."
The addition of Rodgers-Cromartie gives the Eagles the starting right cornerback they've craved. He will be able to step in right away and line up opposite Asante Samuel. Eagles coach Andy Reid said Rodgers-Cromartie will report to Lehigh tomorrow and that he could practice by Saturday.
The Eagles have now pulled off two major deals involving quarterbacks in the last two seasons. Last year, they sent McNabb to Washington and received a 2010 second round pick and a conditional fourth round pick in 2011. The 2011 pick, after the Eagles moved down and also grabbed a 2012 pick, turned out to be linebacker Casey Matthews.
The Kolb deal took perhaps longer than some expected, but the Eagles got their man and another draft pick to play with. Kolb is also expected to help an Arizona team that went 5-11 last season after reaching the Super Bowl in 2009. Quarterback Kurt Warner retired following a Super Bowl loss and replacement Derek Anderson was not the answer.
Kolb could be the guy to get the Cardinals back over the hump. He showed flashes during seven career starts, pitching a near-perfect performance against the Falcons last season. But he went 3-4 overall as a starter and struggled at times to throw the ball downfield.
Rodgers-Cromartie is entering his fourth season in the league after being selected in the first round of the 2008 draft. He was voted to Pro Bowl in 2009 and has recorded 13 interceptions over his career.
The 25-year-old had what many considered a down season in 2010. Still, he's considered one of the fastest players in the NFL and an exceptional cover corner. His tackling is below average.
The Eagles likely now need a backup quarterback. Reid gave an endorsement for second-year quarterback Mike Kafka but said "quarterback is a position we need to take care of."
Vince Young is a possibility. The Titans released him this afternoon. The Ravens' Marc Bulger is another viable option.
FROM EARLIER:
The Kevin Kolb trade that has the Eagles backup heading to the Arizona Cardinals, and that has been incrementally moving toward finality, is expected to be completed before the end of the day, an NFL source said.
The deal, in essence, remains the same -- Kolb for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Still left for discussion is the draft pick the Eagles would also get in the trade. Another element that needs to be completed before the deal goes through is a contract extension for Kolb.
Arizona and Kolb's agent Jeff Nalley are reportedly hammering out a deal now.
Kolb, of course, did not show for the Eagles' first practice of training camp. The Eagles excused his absence because the deal is near finished.
Check back with Birds' Eye View and this post all day for more updates on the Kolb trade.
Comments (119)
Comment removed.
I am really waiting for John Smallwood and Ashley Fox to write something. They hyped up Kolb and now it is quiet. Listen, Kolb received his chance in Philly, but was outplayed by Michael Vick. I do not see Kolb doing much in Arizona. Let's face it, Kolb was not as good as the Philadelphia media made him out to be.— tightmadness- Hhahaahah bye bye klob! Great job getting a 63 million dollar contract that u never did or and never will deserve— lighterfluid
- Is Kolb really any good? Wow.— shawnmac
- Who's the Eagles back-up?...A.J. Feeley?— thomdee
- HHHMMM, will the Eagles ever win under Reid? He has proven in his tenure that his system doesn't win Superbowls.
1.)You must run the ball between the tackles which forces the defense to defend the entire field and not cheat against the pass.
2.)He doesn't value the most destructive defensive position which is Linebacker.
3.) He now has a built-in excuse with his new defense coordinator that has less experience than the defensive coodinator he just fired.( get ready for...I GOTTA DO A BETTER JOB WITH THE DEFENSE)
4.) The worst part???? The perfect coach is sitting on the sidelines commentating on the NFL...BILL COWHER. Reid must go before we can win the SB. I love the Eagles but not Andy Reid.....— WeArePennState - As much as I hate the Eagles Ownership and Front Office they have done a great job getting great value in the 2 QB trades the last 2 years. A 2nd and 4th round pick last year for a QB that was just traded this year for a 6th and 7th rd pick. and now this deal, a starting CB and a 2nd Rd. pick for a guy thats played in a handful of games. Excellent deal....but it did take too long.— sickoflosing
- Korn on the Kolb aka Ol' Noodle Arm.— citysims
- Comment removed.
KOLBoom!! Been waiting for this one. Eagles should be arrested for this robbery and Kolb should be too. Eagles fleeced them and KK robbed them. That much for a 4 year pro who couldn't nail down a starting job when it was handed to him, had ONE win over a decent team and whose stats are not the stuff HOFer's are made of not to mention the rag arm, slow feet, run at the first sign of pressure, soft melon and interseptions. I don't care what he does in Zona, sitting on the bench he does nothing for the Eagles and Bulgar or someone else will give them an equal amount of production. Bravo to the Eagles and don't be surprised if KK isn't a bench warmer again.— tpizza- The Eagles are morons...they're putting all their eggs in the basket of a career average at best QB (Vick) who had 1 good season, with a very questionable 2nd half and playoffs. Kolb will end up having a very nice NFL career— ericyshel
- Total 16 game seasons that criminal has started every game? ZERO.
I hope this trade finally ends the Reid era.— phillyjeffsr - Great move. I wish Kolb all the sucess that McNabb had here while watching the Eagles win NFC Championships and Superbowls.— BZI
- Great trade. We got the 2nd pick back we used to pick him and got a very young, talented and much needed corner.— EL Zorro
Wow. Cardinals gave up a starting player and a 2nd round pick (who is likely going to be a starter also) for a back-up. 2 starters for 1 backup. Philadelphia should do prison time for this robbery.
— dmac6419- suckers.— Don Cornelius
- Now on to a Right Tackle and Linebacker.......— Dexter
- When Vick plays like the old Vick (with Atlanta and down the stretch last year), the Eagles will regret the decision to keep Vick and not Kolb.— Bartleby
- let me help him pack his bags!!! this is a steal
— Coachman - The Eagles didnt even wear a rubber with this deal, just went right in and told the Cardinals to take it and take it some more.— Ed Gein
- //His tackling is below average.///
Well then he'll have plenty to discuss with Asante.— General Turgidson - kolb was a class act here who deserves a chance --- well, he's got it now. No excuses. Anybody want to bet 'ol Donovan has called him about renting his Pheonix home to Kolb? he won't be using it.— yobill626
- So much for the 'Kolb Era'. Now you can move to Phoenix, wolf, with your man. Or just end it all here, we're ok with either.— PhillySubsMac
- I like Mike Kafka better then Kolb anyway; I do not know who made this dude out to be John Elway. Never was impressed with Kolb. His best games were against weak defenses.— GrownMan86
- While I wish Kevin Kolb well (and I believe that he'll do well) in his new home, and I still believe that had he been afforded a littel bit more time to develop as a starter he would have been a solid QB for the Eagles, if the Eagles should meet the Arizona Cardinals (perhaps in the playoffs this year) in the future, I hope that the Eagles will pummel him. Needless to say, I hope that the Eagles get the chance to beat up on both Kolb and Donovan McNabb this year.
Yes, I'm ready for some football. - His air guitar skills are weak...Reid knows we need a good air guitarist to play quarterback...duh
-not bob levy— remyy - His air guitar skills may be weak but I heard he brought along his hunting knife, spinning bow tie and water squirting flower to provide appropriate sideline entertainment.
- Wonder how long it's going to take Larry Fitz to figure out he can't run anything deeper than a 20 yard crossing route.
- These comments are range from hysterical to delusional.— John_Adams
- Now we can see how wack he really is.— GrownMan86
- Good Luck Kevin...you are out from under....hope it works for you....and we got a corner.....now for a real RT to protect Michael and a stud DT to stop the run and get a push up the middle.....— nuggett
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Mike Kafka. You better hope that Vick doesn't get hurt.— Hiding Behind My Keyboard
- On to a LB and a back-up QB and im not talking about Vince Young.— NC Eagle Fan
- The Eagles organization is a joke. $80 mill. under contract with at least $35 mill. that they must spend and yet they haven't gone after the best available free agents!!! What are they waiting for? Where are they planning to plug the holes, from the unsigned free agent players who never played a down in the NFL???— BFlint
- need to sign Young & after good coaching trade for 2nd rd pick!— bill poore
- good thought on Alex Smith but I thought he resigned for a 1 yr? I was thinking someone cheap like Bulger— peteike
- Dont worry Vick fans, he will get hurt and then you will be wishing Kolb was back...oh well time go troll the AZ forums now.— DontTreadonme
- KK - take your money and run...— M60tanker
- If 49ers release Alex SMith, the Birds should sign him as the back-up. Andy may be able to help him. He has started almost 50 NFL games with poor OLs and many head coachs and O-coordinators.— Romus
- If 49ers release Alex SMith, the Birds should sign him as the back-up. Andy may be able to help him. He has started almost 50 NFL games with poor OLs and many head coachs and O-coordinators.— Romus
- I wish Kolb luck as he's a class act and is finally getting a chance to be a starting QB.
I also hope that attempted passes don't turn into too many completions as we have two great ballhawks that happen to be the worst tackling CB tandem in the league. Allen and Jarrett better practice their two-deep zone coverage! - Being an Eagles fan while living in Arizona, I feel that Arizona got the better of the deal. Lets see, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie isn't he the the d-back who gets burnt on every deep route. The Arizona fans are very happy with this trade!— jpelle36
- Nice deal.
Can The Inquirer throw in Ashley Fox, too?
Kolb may need a publicist.— yahzooman - WOW....Arizona is paying Kolb $63MM over 5 years??? This is a big gamble for a guy that played a handful of games. That's why they are the Cardinals....GO EAGLES...— WeArePennState
- RE: D. Sanchez
Don't forget, Kolb had a pretty severe concussion. Great trade, probably better than the Jay Feely trade to Miami a few years ago. Get a desperately needed starting corner and a high draft pick which will probably be traded.— yeadon75 - Ha ha ha. Nice trade by Eagles to get a young, big, former all-pro RCB ***AND A SECOND ROUNDER*** for a former second rounder with a second-string arm. I never thought Kevin Kolb looked like a starting NFL QB. Now let's see how he does throwing to Fitzgerald . . .— Leegles
- wahoooo, finally nice work. They had to get Kolb signed first hence the wait. Now lets get a LB and O lineman— peteike
- so now the eagles can get involved in free agency?— section707
- Kolb gone.......................good, I hope he makes it through the season— charmaine
- Comment removed.
- Don't know why some idiots hate on Kolb. But whatever, I hope he does well in Arizona.— JCKevo
- good question palmyra21. I guess we won't ever know what they could have had. However, I doubt the Eagles would have unloaded McNabb based on what they saw from Vick in 2009 without Kolb around.
With Babin signed, we just need Tulloch. Pray that the Coleman, Allen and Jarrett are solid at safety and they have upgraded defense.— willbert31 - Thank goodness -- I can sleep again.— Dan Bernstein
- Steve S11..........DoRoCro— Romus
- Glad deal is done...let's now get a right tackle— bearsfriend
- Where is lonewolf to talk up how sad he is now that "Mr. Clutch" Kolb is gone?— chief_jaysons
- Comment removed.
- They signed Babin earlier. — beerflow
- Great reporting Jeffy. Like your other Philadelphia sport writer colleagues, you get your information from other news sources. Pathetic. Did you ever play a sport?— Victor 1
- i wonder what we could have gotten with the Kolb pick in 2007? Would that person had helped us get the SB in 2007-2010?— palmyra21
- How many QBs don't go down for a few games every season? The Eagles now need to sign a quality backup because they just lost the one they had.— Boru
- Thank you Lord. Now let's get freaking focus and fill all those gaps we have. We're running out of time!— K Dot
- All I keep thinking about is the guy in Philly who has a ton of eagles tattoos all over his body who got a big one of Kolb on his chest when they drafted him. I hear DRC is a worse tackler than Samuel! I hope not. I hope this is a return to the years when we had 2 stud corners in Troy Vincent & Bobby Taylor.— blueye7
- They will never win a Super Bowl as long as this regime is around. I LOVE IT!!!— seaonasdad
- Its about time! Welcome to the Eagles DRC. Lets get our defense in shape!!— JBrooks24
- I don't think the eagles (from everything being I've read) , will spend 6 mill range that Tulloch is asking. If thats the case than , well, it sucks. They NEED a stud linebacker. BTW, anyone thinking Casey Matthews is an answer, the dude is 230 BARELY, with a suit of armor on. He's to small.
Linebacker hasn't been a postition of importance historically, Fatman needs to put more emphasis on that position and sign TULLOCH.— CTigglesfan - O M G. They got DRC AND second rd pick!?!? Kolb can be a 3x Pro Bowler and I'd still be happy with this trade. Que Vince Young
- How pathetic is your life when you run to every post to be one of the first and all you have to offer is Joe "Nickels" Banner!— John663
- Why are they holding out for DRC and a first rounder? They are gonna push the Cards away if that stay strong to that wish. They should be happy with just DRC. Hell Kolb was an early second round pick and DRC was the 16th pick overall in the 08 draft. Just based off of that alone they win this deal. If you look at just impact so far in their careers DRC has made a bigger impact and he will help our lousy redzone d against bigger targets in the redzone. If Burress resigns with NY I like DRC against Burress more than Patterson thats for sure. Now on the flip side I am a Kolb believer and think we will regret trading him down the road BUT this is the road the Birds are taking and this is the best you are gonna get for Kolb now. DO it and we have a top 5 CB tandom in football. Worst tackling tandom in history but still lol— silrock27
- Somertonspartan sorry for taking your fishing buddy but you can find another one at the elks club
— D Sanchez - D Sanchez - please don't forget to show up and post when you're saddled with Kolb's big salary cap number and drafting another "franchise" QB in three years.
BTW - feel free to sign Winston Justice to help out on the o-line when he's released. - YOUNGED - And what ELITE free agents have signed to-date again? Please enlighten us.— 5NOT4
- Can't wait until this rag-armed, redneck, pouting, wanna-be tourny bass fisherman is jettisoned!— somertonspartan
- Tulloch may be option to consider; seems Babin and some ex Eagles (Trot and DH) are trying to get him to consider it - if Birds are interested...— M60tanker
- With such a battle over whether it should include a 1st or 2nd round pick, why not just compromise by basing the pick on performance? Conditional 2nd round pick that converts to a 1st if Kolb finishes the season with 'X' stats.— emoser
- Big John Skelton will be starting for Arizona when they come to Philadelphia and Kolb will be standing on the sideline pouting again.— Astro Jones
- Whew! Now that the Kolb trade is completed, the Birds can get started on their shopping list of Free Agents. What's that? The really good Free Agents are already gone? Ah shucks, we'll just have to look at the 2nd tier guys again! LOL at the Gold Standard!— younged
- Does anyone else think it's not a good thing to now have 2 corners that won't/don't tackle? Why not Nnamdi Asomugha? At least he hits and tackles.— NancyNancy
- D Sanchez - we agree with your thoughts exactly! Aren't the Eagles stupid!!!
Sincerely,
Redskins Fans - Thank you for the gift in a starting QB , I hope your dog pound can play all season without injury. DRC is a gambler and gets burned often. See you nov 13 GO CARDINALS !!!!!!!— D Sanchez
- Funny how everybody is so concerned about a backup QB for the Birds. Even if the guy plays 1 or 2 games a year due to Vick injury, aren't most teams in that position? Not many QB's make it through an entire year unscathed and no teams I know of stock their roster with two starters.
But just to be safe, I say we trade for Carson Palmer and pay him 10 million to ensure we win that game or two that Vick misses. - Apparently people can't read that the reason why it isn't completed yet isn't the Eagles, but the Cardinals trying to hammer out an extension with Kolb's agent. The Eagles have done their part in this deal, they are now just waiting.— awl
- I really don't like the idea of a rookie pk Henery and the rookie punter Henry. Sepulveda can hold, kickoff and is still pretty young.— willbert31
- thank god we didnt get Haynesworth, that made my day. Its official the Pats have lost their edge— peteike
Andy "Extra Value Meal" Reid- Comment removed.
- I don't see them signing a punter other than the UDFA they signed the other day - Chas Henry from Florida. He was the Ray Guy award winner for best collegiate punter this past year but punters normally aren't drafted in the first 7 rounds. What will be more interesting is PK. They drafted Alex Henery, who was the top PK in the draft so I guess it will be wait and see.— dmac62
- Make the deal, with conditional picks based on performance of both players. The longer this takes the less value Kolb is to Arizona. NEED to sign MLB Stephen Tulloch & a punter (Sepulveda?).— willbert31
- Make the deal, with conditional picks based on performance of both players. The longer this takes the less value Kolb is to Arizona. NEED to sign MLB Stephen Tulloch & a punter (Sepulveda?).— willbert31
- Help is on the way. My car is packed and on the way to Lehigh. I promise to put class back into #4.— Mike McMahon
- Philly Mike, the only reasonable comment on here. Would be nice to get another solid O lineman in FA and a LB since ours are so young— peteike
- If we get DRC, will Reid move him to TE? I heard he played the position once in a pick-up flag football game in high school.— momeara001
- Well once this a done deal the only thing imo left to do is sign an Olineman and were good to go.
I am personally very happy with what they have at linebacker, i feel its a lot like 2 years ago when they had all these great young WR. This group a LB will be great at some point. Wouldn't mind seeing a vet but nobody thy have to pay to much to.
As far as running back i think they are set. The two kids from pitt and Noel Devine is going to be a great third down back.
I also wouldn'tmind seeing V Young come in as a back up. Love him or hate him the guy just wins games.
I would love to see the Eagles sign Davin Jospeh or matt light. That to me would be huge. Justice doesn't guard the back side well enough. Jospeh could be brought in and put in herrimans guard position and herrimens could go out to RT which he is probably better suited for anyway.— andyreidisfat - That's funny PhillguyinVA! I am willing to bet in 5 years Mike Kafka will have a better chance of being in a Pro Bowl than Kevin "Deer in the headlights" Kolb! That being said, I wish him luck! Behind that offensive line in AZ Karnac predicts at least one more concussion, with the over under @ 2.5!— antmry312
- Too funny, I can't WAIT to see all the Vick lovers crying when he is either arrested, arrested or well arrested within the next 6 months. Time will tell and in 5 years people are gonna be at a sports bar saying I can't believe we kept Vick and traded Kolb.— PhillyguyinVA
- .. and when do you predict you'll make a million dollars? — bm2957
- I hate to say this, but I think we will miss Kolb once Vick is in traction.— chris_r
- Comment removed.
- Goodbye, "Corn on the Kolb"— tralala
- a lot of people forget we need to upgrade or at least bring in competition at right tackle..I'm gettin sick of winston justice and king dunlap!!— fritz1226
- The hold up on this deal is Shakes Kolb and his contract demands though I can't figure that out. Everybody knows a guy with 8 starts on his resume, a sub-.500 record and a couple of 300 yard games is worth a starting CB, second round pick and 10 million a year.
- Oh, so now KK is good?— Joe at the shore
- The best part will be when Kolb wins a Super Bowl for the Arizona Cardinals in 3 years...and the Eagles still don't have one...check another team off the list that has the trophy!— dgabs
- Kolb has been a class act this whole time. I hope he does well in Arizona.— AbeVigoda
- Comment removed.
- Come on JoeB How tough is it or are you making it tough...Just do it...and move on to our other needs....or is this part of Howie's learning curve....Bet you did not think this long about raising prices on tickets or merchandise.....— nuggett
- I'll take Stephen Tulloch at LB and also add another DT, Alan Branch. They also need a punter (Daniel Sepulveda) as well as a reliable backup RB (Marion Barber). Seriously doubt any of those players would sign here because, well, the Eagles will think the price be too steep.— beegal99
- The Eagles biggest challenge will be figuring how to get Rodgers-Cromartie spelled out on the back of his jersey.— SteveS11
- Wonder if he'll win a Super Bowl?
— bastowgonzalez - Hope Vick doesn't get hurt ---in Pre season games.— farley
- Finally! - who cares who the back-up will be here - no way any other QB will match MVick anyway - now they can get the LB situation resolved - and hammer out a DJAX deal so he gets to camp ASAP!— Tom Man
- Cant wait to see Kolb do absolutely NOTHING this season... I might just need the NFL ticket.— summerdaleSULLY
- Comment removed.
- Cant wait to see Kolb do absolutely NOTHING this season... I might just need the NFL ticket.— summerdaleSULLY
the only thing slower than this trade is nickels opening his wallet to spring for lunch— kdub13- Comment removed.
- I'll MISS Kolb :(— Ace-Philadelphia
- Wow, they got this deal done in NO time.
;)— CTigglesfan
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