Per Adam Kaplan... Kevin Kolb

[Lagerfilled]

The Cardinals and Kevin Kolb's reps are expected to talk later this week, per source. His $2 M roster bonus is due on Saturday.

I'll never understand waiting until the last minute!

 

[MoeIsBetter]

Puts the player on a time constraint. Less time for them to sit back and try to negotiate. It's either take what we're offering or hit the road Jack.

 

[JohnnyV]

According to Kent Somers, the Cardinals haven't tipped their hand one way or another. I asked him if they'd like him back at the right price, and he confirmed that was still up in the air.

Speculation was that we wanted him to return under our conditions, but there's still a strong possibility that we move on from him all together.

Waiting this long in the process makes me think it's the latter...

 

[TJ]

According to Kent Somers, the Cardinals haven't tipped their hand one way or another. I asked him if they'd like him back at the right price, and he confirmed that was still up in the air.

Speculation was that we wanted him to return under our conditions, but there's still a strong possibility that we move on from him all together.

Waiting this long in the process makes me think it's the latter...

The fact that the Cardinals are willing to sit and talk about a new deal shows they have some interest in retaining him. Had Arians felt he would not fit, as many speculated he wouldn't, there's no doubt in my mind he would have been cut outright and early on. Remember: AW was cut last Friday w/o being offered a pay cut or restructure; and Doucet was cut Saturday, so the coaches have shown that if a player does not fit, he's gone. Simple.

However, how much they want Kolb back remains to be seen. We'd have to see what kind of annual salary, bonus, etc. is being offered to him. If it is a low-ball figure, then the motivation to keep him is low.

All we know now is the two sides will sit and chat this week. Everything else is conjecture and speculation. IMO, waiting until the last minute gives the staff an opportunity to gauge the level of interest from street free agents and less time for the Kolb camp to negotiate a counteroffer.

This will be a very interesting week, to say the least.

 

[JeffGollin]

Sounds like things are fluid - some decisions are delayed until other events/decisions do or do not occur.

 

[TJ]

Sounds like things are fluid - some decisions are delayed until other events/decisions do or do not occur.

Reminds me of the government. Everything done at the 11th hour.

...and my homework assignments in high school and undergrad years.

 

[Quinn McCollum]

I see no restructure happening with Kolb. I think they will ask him to take a major pay cut and if he does not they let him go.

 

[Jetstream Green]

This seems very simple. The Cards are not waiting till the last moment because they are stupid due to the fact they already have come to the conclusion that losing Kolb is not something to lose sleep over. It is like this, "Kolb, you can take a major pay cut or you are getting cut and this is not up for discussion as far as we are concerned, so there is no needed time to ponder this since we are not changing our stance"

 

[JeffGollin]

Reminds me of the government. Everything done at the 11th hour.

...and my homework assignments in high school and undergrad years.

I don't know whether or not I'm right, but I get the sense regarding all personnel issues that BA and SK operate on the principle of "keep your options open and don't finalize decisions til you have to" (i.e. El Bridgo-Crosso - let the market come to you).

 

[WildBB]

This seems very simple. The Cards are not waiting till the last moment because they are stupid due to the fact they already have come to the conclusion that losing Kolb is not something to lose sleep over. It is like this, "Kolb, you can take a major pay cut or you are getting cut and this is not up for discussion as far as we are concerned, so there is no needed time to ponder this since we are not changing our stance"

Pretty much. But if Palmer becomes available and we sign him then they go on from Kolb I think. But I wouldn't give Palmer what Kolb is getting now either. He'd better come much cheaper or we keep Corn.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Pretty much. But if Palmer becomes available and we sign him then they go on from Kolb I think.

Agreed

 

[binkar]

Sounds like things are fluid - some decisions are delayed until other events/decisions do or do not occur.

Exactly. It's not always black and white. Arians loving him and hating him aren't the only two options here. I assume they have assigned him a value and have him ranked against other available QBs. If they are able to secure someone higher on their list at the number they value him, they let him go. If not, they offer him a contract at the number they value him and let him make a decision.

There are a lot of advantages to waiting til the last minute, assuming you're not in immediate need of using the cap space it will create.

 

[jmt]

I see no restructure happening with Kolb. I think they will ask him to take a major pay cut and if he does not they let him go.

Agree - and this is the right move.

 

[Goldfield]

No need to rush, they are going to go with the best option. This go es them time to gauge interest from Palmer. I think Palmer at this point in his career would favor Arizona.

 

[Totally_Red]

Exactly. It's not always black and white. Arians loving him and hating him aren't the only two options here. I assume they have assigned him a value and have him ranked against other available QBs. If they are able to secure someone higher on their list at the number they value him, they let him go. If not, they offer him a contract at the number they value him and let him make a decision.

There are a lot of advantages to waiting til the last minute, assuming you're not in immediate need of using the cap space it will create.

I agree! Part of the equation may be what the Cardinals do or don't do in the early hours of free agency. If they sign Reggie Bush and cut Beanie Wells, how much cap space does that use up? So they may have an idea of how much of a cut they are asking Kevin to take.

IMO, there is no one else available in free agency or the draft who is better than Kolb to start the season with the possible exception of Carson Palmer, so you probably want to reduce his salary and salary cap hit while offering play-time and other incentives to earn some of it back. You can't pay the guy close to $11-million with his durability issues. $6-7 million with incentives might be in the ballpark, e.g. similar to what Michael Vick got from the Eagles.

 

[JeffGollin]

There are a lot of advantages to waiting til the last minute, assuming you're not in immediate need of using the cap space it will create.

I'm not always in favor of biding our time (Too many opportunities can escape you, you can run out of options and time can quickly become your enemy).

But in this instance, waiting seems wisest.

 

[CardsFan88]

I think there is a lot of ways to look at this. Given his cap hit, I'd rather get rid of him and rid the contract.

But they might be looking at the situation that he has a cap hit whether he is on the team or not, so if you can do with a couple million hit higher than an outright cut, then he might be worthy to be on the team as a backup. I can understand this. Because it probably nets out to the same as signing someone else to be the backup.

Waiting until after FA starts and talking right before the roster bonus gives us a great amount of leverage in a couple of different ways.

1. He doesn't have much time to negotiate or think it over, it would be much more of a take it or leave it offer with a small opening for slight revision upwards.

2. It helps the Cardinals save face when offering such a steep cut and to Kolb in accepting it. If we were to ask him to take such a major cut while having the cap room we have, it looks worse then if we can come to him after signing a couple of guys eating that cap room and telling him 'look we don't have the cap space we need and so we really need the cap room'. (and if we add someone like Reggie Bush it gives us an additional selling point of having another weapon for him...perhaps they'll even lay out to him some rudimentary plans to address the OL)

After signing a couple of free agents (potentially of course) then the take it or leave it restructure gives the Cards more leverage because they really have to do it, and makes them look less like buttholes for asking for such a big cut. The fact would then be that they are up against the cap and need to create room for some more moves and that because of this they can only offer such a low rate restructure. Good front offices have a way of using being low on cap space as a means to create greater discounts and from more people overall.

They also will most likely use the bonus as a means to say hey look you'll get the bonus in addition to the minimum contract (or thereabouts), and thus this season you'd still be paid a total of 3 million or so. Maybe even 4 million. But if you decline you'll be cut, lose that bonus and salary and take your chances on the open market where he will probably get less. He will not get Matt Moore type numbers. His best option imo for the greatest total money coming to him will be from us.

If he stays I still go after Palmer with the same fervor I would if Kolb wasn't under contract. But I can understand keeping him as a backup.

Hell in a sense it could be used by the Cardinals as a way not to look so needy during any potential Palmer negotiations. Of course, we actually ARE that needy regardless.