While talks between the NFL Players Association and NFL Owners continue before the Friday deadline, a ray of hope shined through on Thursday for players.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported that a source close to the situation feels that even without a new CBA, players and free agents could still switch teams.
How? It is a complicated process, one that King lays out well:
“Should the negotiations here stall, and the players choose to decertify as a union, ownership would almost certainly declare their intentions to lock out the players. Then the players likely would move to get relief from U.S. District Judge David S. Doty in the form of an injunction. It’s not certain what Doty would do, of course, but he has made some significant pro-player decisions while overseeing NFL labor. If Doty granted injunctive relief, he could likely rule that the league’s last work rules were still applicable, or he could simply allow the NFL to institute a set of rules of its choosing. But it’s a virtual certainty the NFL would appeal the injunction.
If the injunction survived the appeal process, the 2011 league year would start and the rules would include free agency and the ability to trade players.”
King also feels that all of this could happen before the NFL Draft on April 28th. While the process in which this could happen is 
complicated, break it down to simpler terms, and it means one thing:
Kevin Kolb still has hope.
While many players are set to be free agents, and players like Nnamdi Asomugha will make big money, perhaps no one in the NFL has as much to lose this off season as Kolb.
With multiple teams reportedly interested in him, this is his chance to finally be a starter (for more then one game). Trades in the NFL do not happen often without draft picks being involved. If Kolb is unable to be traded during the draft, and enters training camp (assuming there is one) as an Eagle, the chance of him changing teams at that point are minimal.
Andy Reid has said publicly that he wants to keep Kolb around for the 2011 season, but a first-round pick this year would be hard to turn down. Once Kolb is already in camp, it will be even harder to pry him away from Reid, especially for a pick in the following years draft.
Some people feel Reid’s seat may finally be starting to heat up. Whether that is true or not is unknown, but if it is, a pick in next years draft will do Reid no good this year.
Kolb has said and done all of the right things this season. I was in the locker room the day it was announced Michael Vick was the starter, and you could see the pain in his eyes. The frustration Kolb must be feeling now, as another obstacle stands in his way of starting, must be enormous.
Whether or not Peter King’s report comes to be true is unknown.
But still, you have to think Kolb was happy to hear it.
What do you think of Kolb’s situation with the Eagles? Let us know. You can email us at Garry@GCobb.com.
I have been a big Kolb supporter and was willing to live with the bumps as he learned the system as a starter. I’m an Eagles fan first and don’t feel sorry for Kolb because thing haven’t gone perfect for him. He his financially secure for life since he’s made over 15M already in his career. He plays quarterback, not running back so he is actually just entering his prime years with 10+ years left be it a starter or backup. He gets to decide were he plays after this year because he will be an unrestricted free agent. If he’s traded the team will offer him huge money to sign before he hits free agency. His worst case is staying with a pair of respected quarterbacks coaches that will continue to groom him and make every effort make him better. Not exacty a bad place to work.
If we trade Kolb to SF (with their supporting cast) and god forbid Vick goes down and we are forced to play a mediocre back-up, we could swith places with SF in next years draft.
One thing you’re overlooking Mr Cobb–if the players decertify, the owners can’t lock them out, since technically, they’d all be non–union players. One thing the league will certainly do is challenge their decertification.
great point Bobbyuk,
I was about to mention the same thing, I think we will find out this afternoon
at 2pm that they are either close in reaching another extension,some binding arbitration to allow the NFL Calender to continue or that the NFLPA is going to decertify and take it to the Courts which is this occurs, will be a mess and a time consuming process on what and who Free-agents are, if any of these 1 Tender Offers are valid, all kinds of contractual issues which the COurts would have to decide on which would take months to determine..
If we hear the PLayers are going to decertify, then I don’t expect any CBA
agrrement until mid-late SUmmer at the earliest in which no players will be moving anywhere and no teams will be acuquiring anythinf and that the Draft will just be a dog & pony show..
Dixi- if vick went down and kk came in… What makes youthink that KK won’t have bumps then?
I don’t hate KK but y do people make it sound like he would be ready to lead this team better than any other QB out there? I’d rather have tjack than kolb as a backup.
@DixieFan –
I always said the 49ers are a QB away from winning the NFC West. Kolb would put them at the top. If Vick goes down, Kafka would be the guy and I really believe Marty thinks he is going to be very good in the NFL if given the chance.
@Stevo, You would rather have Tarvaris Jackson as the backup???? You are in a small group of people who agree with that comment.
Most of the NFL think Kevin Kolb is worth a first round pick. Tarvaris Jackson might be out of football after the Vikings made him the third stringer.
please understand irish that we r talking big picture. Kolb does not want to be a backup and he will be gone next year. So these are our choices….
1) Trade Kolb for a first rd pick.
2) Keep kolb (who wants to leave) and watch him walk next year.
3) Keep kolb and franchise him next year (not worth it)
4) Trade vick and start kolb (NO)
5) Start kolb and keep vick on the bench (with a franchise $$)
only 1 of these seems like a good idea to me.
People please understand that Kolb is leaving next year without us getting anything UNLESS WE TRADE HIM.
If vick goes down and kolb comes in… he will still have growing pains.
Stevo,
No CBA, No Trade, Kolb Remains an Eagle for 2011 Season
(and he wouldn’t return a 1st Round Pick in a trade anyways..)
I like your creativity Paulman but I agree with some of the other posters that it’s rare to see multiplayer trades so that means it probably won’t happen. A perfect off season for me would be to get Asomugha in FA, sign Fat Albert once the Redskins release him, and trade Patterson, Kolb and maybe our 6th to AZ for their 5th and take the best defensive player available and at #23 take the best OL available. I know it’s probably not going to happen but I get excited thinking about it.
Sorry Paulman but if you think Kolb will be n the roster this year with a chance of him walking away for absolutely nothing next offseason, you have another thing coming.
Kolb will not be an Eagle come gameday. you can bank on it…So, exhaust ways he’ll be shipped outta here for the highest bidder, because that’s what the Eagles are doing.
To Songs,
Let me try explaning it this way so you can understand better
#1) If no CBA in place by Draft, Eagles keep Kolb for 2011 Season
and will be the “security blanket” for VIck in case of injury
#2) If Kolb plays out the 2011 Seasn and then leaves via Free-agency next off-season, the Eagles would still get a #3rd Round “Compensatory Pick”
awarded by the NFL for losing a quality player..
So the question remains, If you can’t get anything in return now for for the 2011 Draft. Then is it better to have Kolb for whatever type of Season there is going to be 2011 as a back-up,emergency QB in case something happens to Vick.. Most NFL Observors say that this is the smart move
So unless there can be trades allows by Draft time, Kolb is not going anywhere …