Trade for Arizona: Next to Derek Anderson, I guess any quarterback is worth a 2^nd round pick, a legitimate starting cornerback who is still only 25, and a long term extension worth 5 years 63.5 million dollars with 21 million in guarantees. Kolb is not worth that. He’s put up mediocre stats in Andy Reid’s offense, an offense that makes quarterbacks look better than they are. Remember when the Dolphins traded a 2^nd rounder for AJ Feeley? How’d that work out? Plus, he’s already 27 next month so it’s not like he’s got a ton of untapped potential.

The reason I don’t hate this move is because Larry Fitzgerald wanted Kevin Kolb. Larry Fitzgerald is a free agent after next season. If they had waited until next offseason, Fitzgerald could have easily left. Sure, they could have traded a 2^nd or a 3^rd for Kyle Orton and hoped that would have been enough to please Fitzgerald, but Fitz specifically requested Kolb, which is probably why Philadelphia was able to drive the price up so high. The Cardinals didn’t have a choice.

Now they need to sign Fitz to a long term deal. If they don’t, they risk him realizing Kolb isn’t actually that good and then Fitz leaving anyway after what’s probably going to be an 8-8 season. I have mixed feelings all around on this one. They way overpaid, but they kind of had to. This move is a good move if they can convince Fitz to sign an extension in the next few days or weeks, but if they can’t, then it’s a horrific move.

On one hand, Fitzgerald is not a quarterback and it might not be smart to let a non-quarterback run your team like this. On the other hand, Fitzgerald is their best player. He had 1137 receiving yards last year even with all the crap they had at quarterback. He’s never been a diva. In fact, he was willing to take a pay cut if it meant they could resign Anquan Boldin. If he wants Kolb, it’s not because he’s worried about his stats. It’s because he wants to win and he doesn’t want to go through another 5-11 season.

I’m averaging everything out and giving them a C.

Grade: C

Trade for Philadelphia: This move has upside for Arizona, but it’s highway robbery for Philly. They drafted Kolb with a 2^nd 4 years ago and he hasn’t done much to prove he’s a franchise quarterback since then, and yet they were not only able to recoup their 2^nd rounder, but they got a legitimate starting cornerback in DRC who is only 25 years old. Cornerback was a huge need of theirs.

Grade: A