Just how close were the Arizona Cardinals to getting their quarterback of the future over the weekend? Closer than any of us may have realized but it wouldn't have come via the draft.

According to Pro Football Weekly, the Cards and Philadelphia Eagles had agreed in principle to a deal that would have landed them 26-year old starting QB Kevin Kolb. Too bad the league's labor dispute wouldn't allow it.

The Eagles, sources told PFW, had a potential deal in place to trade QB Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals before the draft, but those plans changed when veterans were not allowed to be dealt. It's very possible, however, that the Cardinals and Eagles could reignite those trade talks.

Just because Kolb wasn't dealt prior to the draft due to the NFL Lockout doesn't mean a deal between the Cardinals and Eagles won't happen once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. Kolb wants out and you'd have to imagine Andy Reid will appease him.

According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King Philadelphia already has an offer on the table that includes a first-round pick in 2012.

Point is, Kolb doesn't want to be in Philadelphia; he wants to have a chance to get a starting job somewhere else, and Reid has promised to try to make a deal if it benefits the Eagles. He already has an offer of a first-round pick in the 2012 draft from an unknown team. The window for the 2011 league year opened and closed quickly last week; players like Kolb, who want to be traded, and free agents who want to hit the market have to wait for the league year to open before moving. That could happen this week if the Eighth Circuit forces the NFL to open doors and end the lockout.

Could that �unknown' team be the Cards? If you believe the initial report that the two teams had agreed upon a deal before this year's draft you'd have to imagine they'd be willing to get one done after the draft as well.

With teams like Carolina, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Minnesota, San Francisco, and Tennessee drafting quarterbacks to fill their need and the Cardinals deciding not, the market for Kolb has shrunk significantly.

It seems like it's down to a six team race between the Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Dolphins, Redskins and Seahawks. The only question is, who will offer the most?

If you're in Arizona, you have to ask what's more valuable: a 2012 first-round pick or a season with a legitimate starting quarterback.