
Cardinals G.M. Rod Graves spoke about Kevin Kolb’s future on Thursday. Let’s see what he had to say, and then offer up a few interpretations.
“There’s no reason to think at this particular point that we wouldn’t proceed with . . . seeing [Kolb’s] contract through, but things change as we go down the road,” Graves said on KTAR via NFL.com.
ESPN.com interpreted that as the Cardinals “expect” to retain Kevin Kolb. NFL.com said that Kolb is “likely” to remain in Arizona.
Both of those translations are true, but here’s another: Graves left the door wide open to change course and go after Peyton Manning.
The Cardinals gave Kolb a contract worthy of a franchise quarterback. That’s what they expected out of him. There was no talk of quarterback competition (with John Skelton) or things changing as “we go down the road” a year ago. Kolb was The Guy.
One year later, Graves admitted that he’s keeping his options open. That’s the sensible approach.
Kolb remains the most likely starting quarterback in Arizona next year, but the team’s commitment level has clearly changed. They are open to other possibilities.