Arizona Cardinals Pick Up Kevin Kolb Option, End Peyton Manning Chase

Possibly sensing that their chances of landing Peyton Manning were fading with each passing day, the Arizona Cardinals have elected to give Kevin Kolb his $7 million roster bonus prior to the Saturday deadline.

ESPN's Suzy Kolber first broke the news on Friday afternoon:

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ESPN's Suzy Kolber reports Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb will receive his $7 million roster bonus, according to team source.

—Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2012"

The news is not all bad for the Cardinals. Kolb did not have the banner year that fans were anticipating, but he also battled injuries and did not get a lot of support from his offensive line.

Now that the Cardinals know who their quarterback will be next season, they can focus on building around him to keep him on the field for 16 games.

It doesn't hurt having Larry Fitzgerald to throw to on the outside. Manning would have obviously been a nice fit for this team, but Kolb is still just 27 years old, and it would be unwise to completely write him off after an injury-plagued season.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has built a good foundation with this team. The defense should get better with Patrick Peterson looking like a superstar after his rookie season.

Manning would have been the franchise's way of putting a band-aid on a broken leg; the Cardinals need to spend their money to build a team, not just find another temporary quarterback solution.

Committing to Kolb gives them the freedom to dip into the free-agent pool and start evaluating what they want to do in the draft.

Kolb may not be the popular choice among Cardinals fans, but management had to make a decision on a quarterback soon or risk being left in the dark. All things considered, it was the right call.

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