The New York Jets have made a number of moves in regards to their quarterback position this offseason and the work of another team may dictate what they do in the future, as Kevin Kolb of the Arizona Cardinals has interested the Jets and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
According to ESPN.com and NFL.com, the Jets are interested in the quarterback as they are looking to upgrade at the position as well as due to the fact that Kolb worked with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg while with the Eagles. The Jets are moving towards a more West coast offense, which Kolb is very familiar with.
Kolb was originally traded to the Cardinals from the Eagles in 2011 and the main reason the Arizona Cardinals wanted to part ways with him was due to a $2 million roster bonus that he was set to make. Kolb had a $9 million base salary for next season and the team is ready to move on after a dreadful 2012 that saw their quarterback rank last in the league in passing.
The Cardinals signed Drew Stanton and already has John Skelton and Ryan Lindley on the roster, making Kolb the odd man out. The Jets could go after Kolb as long as his price tag isn't too high, since they already owe $8.25 million in guaranteed money to Mark Sanchez.
The Jets brought in David Garrard to compete with Sanchez, but he hasn't played in two years and Kolb could slide in and be ready for the system since he was already in it once. Garrard's deal was only for $1.1 million, meaning the Jets could afford to add another name to the mix that already has Greg McElroy and Tim Tebow.
Kolb was traded from the Eagles after Michael Vick emerged as the starter and has gone 9-12 as a starter during his career with 28 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 78.9 passer rating, although he was injured for part of last season. The Cardinals are expected to release Kolb over the next two days before his bonus and the Jets could snag him quickly.
Mornhinweg worked with Kolb from 2007 to 2010 and the Daily News's Manish Mehta wrote on Twitter that he could be the starter on Week 1: "If price is right, he'll be on Jets... and likely Week 1 starter RT @Rapsheet Cardinals expect to cut QB Kevin Kolb over next few days #nyj."
The Jets are tired of Sanchez and Tebow and want to move on, but they need someone that can at least hold things over until they get another legitimate quarterback. Last season Kolb played in just six games and passed for 1,169 yards and eight touchdowns while splitting time with Ryan Lindley and John Skelton, who led the Cardinals to a 5-11 record and the 28th ranked passing offense in the NFL.
The team also could use the signing as a jumping off point to trade Tim Tebow. There has been a lot of quarterback movement over the past two days and now there are open spots in Arizona, Buffalo and there could be more in Jacksonville or Oakland in the coming days.
