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When the Arizona Cardinals traded for Kevin Kolb last summer, they immediately signed him to a pricey contract extension.

Oops.

In 15 games as a Cardinal (14 starts), Kolb has completed 58.5 percent of his passes while throwing for 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He's lost 10 fumbles and been sacked 57 times. The Cardinals are 6-8 in games he's started.

In short, whether by injury or lack of production, Kolb has not been what the Cardinals were hoping for when they made the trade, and his struggles combined with hefty paycheck have landed him on a list created by ESPN's John Clayton of the 'Worst NFL contracts'. The signal caller comes in fourth, trailing Tennessee's Chris Johnson, Philadelphia's Michael Vick and New York's Mark Sanchez.

Kevin Kolb, QB, Arizona Cardinals (six years, $62.1 million): The Cardinals felt so good about this deal that they stalked Peyton Manning with the idea of upgrading at quarterback. Kolb has looked no better than a backup. He's battled enough injuries that players question his toughness. John Skelton beat out Kolb for the starting job, and even though Kolb was 3-2 filling in for him, Skelton seems to be the better option for the Cardinals.

Clayton, a guest of Arizona Sports 620's Doug and Wolf Thursday, expanded on his reasoning for including Kolb, saying he understood why the team made the trade and signing at the time.

"If you're five years, $62 million dollars and you're not playing, or if you are playing you're hurt, or if you are playing you look more like the backup than the starter, well naturally you're going to be on that list," Clayton said. "This is not an indictment of the team because remember, there's only a couple ways that you can get quarterbacks.

listen Listen: John Clayton, NFL Writer and ESPN Reporter
ESPN NFL insider John Clayton is on to talk Football with Doug and Wolf. John Clayton came up with his own list on worst contracts in the NFL, this list included Kevin Kolb in the top 10. Is Monday Night a must win situation for the Cardinals? And, Tim Tebow has been rated by the players and John Clayton as the most overrated player in the NFL. What does the future hold for Tebow? Plus, injury news from John Clayton.
"You can lose all your games and get the top quarterback in the draft, or you can draft one and hope to hit on something, or after a while you just get aggressive and try to do something, and that's what they did."

Kolb is currently sidelined with rib and shoulder injuries.

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    bobinchandler wrote...
    No surprise
    It's no surprise that his contract would be on a list like this. It was a big gamble all the way. But what else were they to do? We all wanted to keep Number 11, and this was the guy he felt most comfortable with. He's fairly young and has the potential. Now if he can stay vertical, healthy, and committed, this may pan out after all. BUT, that requires some talent playing in front of Kolb as well.
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    Sect113rw10 wrote...
    Clayton not doing his homework
    Kolb has been productive this season despite the lowest graded OL in history. It truly wouldn't matter who was back there and its a no wonder why Manning wouldn't make a hasty decision to jump on our bandwagon. Kolb should get paid MORE for the abuse he's had to endure. The ONLY way you're getting a QB behind this line is to pay him a but-ton of money or draft him from a small school and tell him this is his only chance to make in the NFL. You want a bad contract what about Smith from the 9'ers they paid that man and he doesn't really do anything, never has.
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    KDub&ADub1324 wrote...
    Oh really....
    Clayton lost all credibility with me when he said "Skelton seems to be the better option for the Cardinals" Really? Even Fitzismyhero would disagree with that. LOL, just givin you hard time man. Anyway, national media just blab about the same old thing as if they know whats going on here. Or maybe its because Kolb has made some "analysts" look foolish that its so hard for them to man up and admit they were wrong? You cant put any stock into what these national guys think. Even on a flimsy article like this. Id respect Gambos opinion before theirs and thats no compliment to Gambo either
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    AZSPORTFAN wrote...
    John Clayton
    Idiot....... Fool....... Bone-Head ...... Jerk .... What more can I say
  • Abuse
    Joshua_The_Redeemed wrote...
    He Probably Right
    As much as I am hoping Kolb will turn it around, I feel that if you just look at the last season and a half Clayton is probably right. I feel that Clayton is one of the most credible and reliable evaluators in the NFL, and I trust his judgement. However, if the Cardinals were to improve their OL I am confident Kolb would work himself off this list, but it is unlikely to happen this season.
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    gougly wrote...
    Respect
    I'm not the biggest Kolb fan in the world but this guy deserves respect. For these reasons... 1)4-0 first time since dirt was invented. 2)Terrible O line. 3)Taking punishing hits. 4)Handles criticizm. 5)Terrible O Cordinater.
  • Abuse
    CroDawg wrote...
    I don't understand
    From my understanding, the contract was front loaded. Meaning that the Cardinals could choose to not re-sign Kolb after this season and it would not cost the organization any more money. Therefore, the 62 million is not truly accurate. The organization is not obligated for that much money.
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    CardzGoHard wrote...
    This Ugly Man Knows His Stuff Big Time
    Amen. Once Again Proud Of Kolb For Improving Compared To Last Season And The Preseason But He Didnt Lose His Job Cuz We Didnt Want To Pay Him In Fact We Payed Him His 2nd Bonus Totaling 21 Mill In 12 Months In Hopes He Would Come Into Camp And Dominate Instead He Lost To His Job To A Gentlemen Rakin In 550,000 Annually. No Skelly Is Not A Significant Upgrade But At 550K Next Season Compared To 10 Mill That Leaves Us With Cap Space To Address Kolbs Biggest Excuse The Line Stop The Bleeding At 23 Million Throw The Remaining 40 Mill At A Game Changer
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    dennismcclur wrote...
    Kolb
    You can add Kolb to your roster or you can add Peyton Manning to your roster at QB. It doesn't matter if your working behind the worst offensive line in the NFL- as both are going to be injured and not playing-case closed!
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