Kevin Kolb is not going anywhere. The Cardinals traded away too much (cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, second-round pick in 2012) and committed to a five-year contract worth as much as $63 million.
Kolb has missed six starts and most of a seventh game this season due to injury, but the Cardinals are too deep in this relationship to sever it after one year. And just as important, who takes over if Kolb is gone?
John Skelton has shown potential but it's questionable whether he's ready to be a starter.
The Cardinals are paying Kolb a $10 million signing bonus and a $2 million in salary in 2011. He is due a $7 million roster bonus in 2012.
That bonus is guaranteed for injury only, meaning the Cardinals could decide to cut him based on performance.
That's not going to happen, according to sources. Kolb will return in 2012. That will be a defining year for him, however, as his salary increases to $9 million and then to $10 million in each of the final three seasons.
If the Cardinals cut him after 2012, they save $41 million of that $63 million deal, but they will have paid him $20 million over two seasons.
It sounds as if Kolb will get another shot to be the starter in 2012, but if he doesn't prove to be the Cardinals' QB of the future, they can cut him without much penalty.
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