Is Kevin Kolb's Contract One Of Worst In NFL? We'll Know After This Season

To say that Kevin Kolb's 2011 season was disappointing is an understatement at this point. There were struggles, injuries and then wins after he went down, which made it look like he was the problem. Regardless of what side of the argument you fall in the Kolb vs. John Skelton argument, 2011 was not kind to Kolb...except for one thing, that being money.

In fact, according to an article on CBSSports.com, Kolb's contract was named as one of the 11 worst contracts in the league.

Kevin Kolb, Cardinals, QB, $8.5M: As mentioned, he's making as much as Aaron Rodgers this season, and at this point, it's a tossup whether he will beat out John Skelton as the starting quarterback. That tells the tale. Throw in a concussion and various injuries from a year ago, and the fact that Skelton became something of a cult hero as a former fifth-round pick -- out of Fordham, of all places -- and the team rallied for him, and this has the potential to be a short stint in the desert for Kolb. The Cards badly wanted Peyton Manning and obviously were willing to walk from Kolb to get him, but as it stands, they picked up the $7 million roster bonus on him. Thus far, the gamble hasn't worked, but expectations for the team are growing and without Kolb performing as a capable, steady quarterback, this trade and subsequent contract could end up blowing up. (Kudos to agent Jeff Nalley for securing the deal for Kolb, by the way).

So...is his contract so bad? It could be. As of now, yes, but it is a little early to declare it one of the worst in the league.

We all knew going in that the contract was a risk. In fact, it is very similar to Matt Cassell and Rodgers, who had yet to prove themselves as bona fide starters.

Kolb had a rough year in 2011. If he comes back, wins the job and is solid in 2012, then the contract is no big deal. It would have been just the cost of doing business.

The Cardinals took a huge risk and jumped all in with Kolb when they needed a QB. They scouted him and made their pitch -- and it was the guy that Larry Fitzgerald supposedly wanted. So you can't blame them.

The price for unproven quarterbacks went down, as evidenced by the Matt Flynn deal.

As for calling the contract one of the worst in the NFL? It very well may be. But let's give it one more year before we call it that.

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