As Scott informed us yesterday, the rumors are flying out of Philly. That’s because they are Eagles! (Intentionally bad joke.) Naturally, anything involving the Eagles over the next few years will be easily and readily tied back to Cleveland for two reasons. First, Tom Heckert arrived from there and second the Browns are annual candidates to pick in the top ten of the NFL draft. Combine that with the shakeup at the quarterback position over the last year and why wouldn’t the rumors crop up about the Browns and Kevin Kolb?
Browns fans (as usual) are all over the map on this. Pretty much everyone I have heard from is in favor of bringing in Kevin Kolb to varying degrees. Some are very strict about not wanting to give up too much because Kolb is an unknown quantity with three career starts. Others are so desperate to try and solve the Browns’ future quarterback questions that they have suggested parting with any number of Browns assets. Some have suggested a first round pick, Shaun Rogers, Eric Wright or some combination of one of those along with lower draft picks or swapping picks. Many of these are way off base and others are interesting, but let’s get into what kind of value could be demanded for Kolb.
Matt Schaub was traded from Atlanta to Houston in February of 2007. Houston and Atlanta flip-flopped first round picks in the first round and Atlanta also got Houston’s second round picks in both 2007 and 2008. Additionally Houston had to get Schaub on a contract extension, which they eventually did for 6 years and $48 million. Schaub was a three year backup and 25 years old when he was traded. I would say the deal has worked out pretty well for the Texans as Schaub has had QB ratings in the 90′s with more TDs than INTs the last two years.
The Matt Cassell trade is another that could shed light on Kevin Kolb’s value. The problem with the Cassell scenario is that the Patriots had to franchise Cassell before trading him. After franchising him, his price tag became $14.65 million for a year. With that financial commitment, the Patriots reduced their bargaining power in trading him. He was eventually sent to former Patriots exec Scott Pioli in Kansas City for a second round pick (#34) along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel. It shouldn’t be surprising that Bill Belichick would ship out a player who was entering the twilight of his career on the verge of free agency like Vrabel as a part of that deal. And Cassell had to paid so much money that it makes sense that New England had to sweeten the pot a bit to get a full second rounder. Then again, I am sure Kansas City was happy to part with that draft pick to fill up that cap space with Vrabel and Cassell.
So, what does this mean for the Browns if they engage in Kevin Kolb discussions with Philly?
First of all, I would be shocked if anything actually happens in the middle of the season, even as early as we are. The Eagles have chosen to go with Michael Vick because of what he did last week, but he is far from a sure thing. He looks good now, but Vick is always in danger as he tends to make plays with his feet. Would the Eagles really go into the rest of the season without Kevin Kolb on their roster as their safety net? Also, do they know enough about this latest iteration of Mike Vick to know that he is their answer for the future? In my mind there are more questions than answers in Philly right now, and I wouldn’t guess they will look to do anything drastic (like trading their opening day starter) after the second week of NFL action. Obviously nobody thinks this is a Charlie Frye situation.
Beyond my doubts that they would actually trade him to anyone during the season, what is he worth? I would not trade a first round pick for Kolb, obviously. Kolb is on a two-year deal worth $12.25 million guaranteed making him a free agent in 2012. He has started three career games and there are questions as to how good he will be as there are with any QB prospect.
I wouldn’t trade a guy like Shaun Rogers to make a deal like this happen. The Browns need all the starters they have, including Rogers, despite Ahtyba Rubin’s development. Eric Wright’s name was bandied about, but I don’t understand why any Browns fan would want to trade a corner after the Browns finally established a bit of depth at the position just this season.
If you put a gun to my head to put together a deal for him today, I would be thinking kind of like the Schaub deal. If the Browns could swap first round picks and include a 4th or a 5th I might be interested. I was having a bit of fun on Twitter yesterday suggesting that there might not be a better potential backup to Mike Vick in the NFL than Seneca Wallace. Ultimately though, you have to trust Tom Heckert in this situation. He should know Kolb as well as anyone in the Eagles organization.
I wouldn’t expect it to happen, but it would certainly liven up the potential for the future of the QB position in Cleveland.
