Michael Vick and David Akers Play Tag, Kolb Rumors Resurface

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday that they have placed the franchise tag on quarterback Michael Vick, and the transition tag on kicker David Akers.

Vick had himself a career year in 2010 and the Associated Press rewarded him with the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year Award. With a CBA that is on the fritz and nothing new on the discussion front, the Eagles took care of securing their quarterback for at least the 2011 season.

Vick’s tag is reportedly worth the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in 2010 which is estimated to be in the ball park of $16-$20 million, which is a considerable increase over his 2010 salary.

Prior to the Pro Bowl, Vick was asked for his thoughts if the Eagles did place the tag on him which he replied he would be fine with it.

Before I go any further I should remind everyone that a trade involving a veteran player is not allowed until an agreement has been reached with the collective bargaining agreement. Both sides know what is at stake and even retired players of the game have been vocal lately urging the two sides to come to the table and be ready to talk business.

Now that we have that out of the way lets continue pondering what Kolb’s value might be and potential landing spots for him. The first thing that needs to be established is an asking price and it is believed the Eagles front office is looking for nothing less than a first round draft pick in 2011 or more.

Okay, if it’s a first round pick the Eagles are looking for, who are the teams that could be interested? There’s the teams from the NFC West in the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Of those three I imagine Kolb’s choice would be the Cardinals after star receiver Larry Fitzgerald openly expressed an interest in catching passes from him (Kolb).

Here’s the problem, nobody but the Cardinals front office knows exactly where they rate Kevin Kolb as a quarterback. If they did pull off a trade at the Eagles asking price it would cost them the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft—kind of expensive for a player who appears to have regressed in 2010!

There has also been recent whispers of Kolb’s name in Minnesota with reports out there saying they would trade eye for eye with the Eagles for Kolb’s services. The Vikings hold the 12th overall pick in this years draft and if there is any truth to that rumbling I believe that would be enough for Andy Reid.

Draft Headquarters(.com) Shawn Zobel said; “I’ve been told that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb will be traded barring an extension of the CBA. The three most likely teams that are currently in the conversation are the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Miami Dolphins. The Vikings, I’ve been told, would be willing to give up the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft for Kolb, however they value their draft picks and with no third-rounder, they’d be leaving themselves with only a second-round pick on the first two days of the draft.”.

From there would we see the master wheeler and dealer at work and attempt to make another trade with a team that holds a top 10 pick, or would the Eagles stay put at No. 12 and adjust their draft board?

Lastly the Seattle Seahawks were also rumored to be interested in Kevin Kolb. The “Hawks” hold the 25th overall pick in the draft so I believe it would be a team like this that Andy Reid would be looking for “more” from. The Eagles hold the 23rd overall pick already and Andy Reid has traded out late in the first round if the talent level isn’t there.

Kolb’s name has only become mentioned in Seattle after the organization released veteran quarterback Matt Hasselback. Seattle also isn’t one of those teams that is just a player away from being contenders either, they have needs everywhere on the depth chart.

Where will Kolb end up in 2011, will he even be traded at all? Unless Andy Reid has a plan for Michael Vick’s backup not named Mike Kafka than it would be extremely uncharacteristic of him to put himself in such a vulnerable position.

Now that there isnt going to be any sort of quarterback contraversy in Philadelphia, and Kolb claiming he wants to be a starter in the NFL in 2011, it’s going to be interesting to see how this all unfolds.

Congratulations to Michael Vick, his return season to the NFL was a dominating one and we can only hope he will improve upon his 2010 Pro Bowl, Comeback Player year.

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Click HERE to take a look at the top 10 players voted most likely to remain in Philly for the 2011 season. You might just be surprised!