Philadelphia Eagles: Weighing the Ups and Downs of Retaining Kevin Kolb

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will become a free agent this year. All indications seem to be that the Eagles will either place the franchise tag on him or give him a new deal. Keeping that in mind, many are wondering what the Eagles should do with Kevin Kolb.

Should the Eagles keep Kolb? Should they trade him? Let’s look at some of the positives and negatives of both.

First, if you keep Kolb, you get a very serviceable backup for a cheap price. The majority of Kolb’s contract was paid to him this year, and he’ll be making significantly less in 2011.

Not only is he a cheap option, but Kolb knows the Eagles system very well. It’s the only NFL system he’s been asked to learn since he entered the league. He had time to sit behind Donovan McNabb and learn the system as well as ask McNabb questions.

Although there have been times where Kolb hasn’t looked good, there have also been times where he’s looked incredible. When he gets solid protection from his offensive line, he can really pick apart a defense. Typically when Kolb is struggling, his offensive line is struggling as well.

Also, with Vick’s style of play, you never know when he might take a hit that could cause an injury. His running ability is a real threat but he doesn’t know how to slide. This means that he takes alot of hits, and we’ve seen him get knocked out of games this year or at least be forced to not play at 100 percent.

Vick is a great player who puts it all on the field, and you have to love his heart; however, it is a risky mindset.

Now, why would the Eagles trade Kolb?

Well, all trade talks involving Kolb have the Eagles looking for draft picks in return. They’ve set the bar at two first-round picks. That’s a pretty high asking price, but it would be pretty nice compensation for the Eagles.

They may also lower their asking price and take something where they could get two picks in the 2011 draft. The Eagles have some holes they need to fill and will need to use the draft as a tool to fill them.

Also, if they get something in return for him now, it is a better scenario then letting him walk away for nothing after the conclusion of the 2011 season.

If the Eagles keep Kolb, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be disgruntled. He waiting a long time to get his chance and didn’t make much noise about it. When he finally got his chance this year, he was unable to perform as he had hoped after receiving a concussion in his first game.

Pair the injury with Vick’s accelerated play, and Kolb ended up right where he started—on the bench.

Kolb believes that he has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and I believe him. I think there are plenty of teams around the league that believe this as well and will look into pursuing Kolb.

Keeping that in mind, it will be interesting to see what the Eagles do with Kolb this offseason.

What do you predict will happen between the Eagles and Kevin Kolb?