In late July 2011, the Cardinals traded for quarterback Kevin Kolb. Now, less than 20 months and more than $20 million later, Kolb is gone.
So are the folks who traded for him.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt and G.M. Rod Graves realized the magnitude of the risk they were taking by sending cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick to Philly for Kolb -- and by signing him to a big contract without seeing how he would perform. The concerns were obvious, as set forth in our 10 takes on the trade.
But the worst-case scenario happened, and now the Cardinals remain squarely within the worse of the two types of NFL franchises: Teams who don’t have franchise quarterbacks.
For new coach Bruce Arians, his only chance of getting a franchise quarterback will come in the draft. Whether it’s Geno Smith or Matt Barkley or someone else, the Cardinals won’t be competing in a top-heavy NFC West until they get a quarterback who can stand toe to toe with the best passers (and, in that division, runners) in the sport.