Philadelphia Eagles QB Kevin Kolb: What Can the Eagles Get in Return for Him?

When the Philadelphia Eagles sent Donovan McNabb on his way, they had two capable replacements for their long-time face of the franchise.

Plan A was Kevin Kolb.  He had replaced McNabb when he went down with an injury and kept the offense rolling as it was if not better.  Plan B. was Michael Vick.  At that point, he was the X-factor in the whole situation.  At that point, nobody had seen the season he was about to have, especially with Kevin Kolb heading into the season as the starting QB.

Well, we all know the story and how it went down.  

Kolb got hurt and Vick captured the starting role and never looked back.  Vick went on to have the best season of his career and likely would have been the NFL MVP if it weren't for Tom Brady and the Patriots going 14-2.  Even though he is a free agent, he more than likely will stay in Philly and for a huge price.  

That brings us back to Kevin Kolb and what the Eagles' options are.  

Last season, the Eagles paid Kolb just over $700,000.  If they want to keep him in 2011, they will pay him around $12 million.  Along with the deal that Michael Vick will receive, the Eagles could be looking at nearly $30 million going to the QB position.  

That's not going to happen.  The Eagles are going to need that money to keep DeSean Jackson happy and go after a free agent to solidify the offensive line.

Obviously, the Eagles can trade him.  There are plenty of teams that could use a good QB like Kolb.  Teams like the Panthers, Bills, 49ers, Broncos, Cardinals, Titans, Redskins and of course the Cleveland Browns all have top-10 draft picks and need a good QB.  

Potential trades with these teams could involve shipping Kolb and swapping first-round picks.  

This would put the Eagles in position to draft one of the solid defenders that will go early in the NFL Draft.  Guys like DT Nick Fairley, CB Patrick Peterson and DE DaQuan Bowers all seem like the real deal.  Any one of them would upgrade the Eagles defense.

The question now is, what can the Eagles get?

The ideal situation is the one I just mentioned, but that doesn't seem likely, as Kolb may not have the trade value with the salary he comes with.  

The Texans swapped first-rounders and a couple of other picks for Matt Schaub.  The Chiefs were able to get Matt Cassel for a second-round pick.  You figure Kevin Kolb has to valued about the same as Cassel since their salaries are similar.  Cassel was franchise tagged by the Patriots, so his trade value took a hit since he was due a big salary for one season.

I can see the Eagles getting an early second-round pick as well as additional picks for Kolb's services.  Those picks would then give the Eagles even more options in the upcoming draft.  They could then put together a package and move up and get one of those top-flight defenders mentioned above.  

CB Patrick Peterson along with Asante Samuel would give the Eagles a very strong set of CBs.  The way the Eagles are known to blitz, having good corners is a must.

What do you guys think?  The Eagles were really close to winning it all this season.  They just need those final pieces to the puzzle to get to where they want to be.  What other possibilities are there?  Maybe they can swap Kolb for a player with an expiring contract.  

Who would you go after?