NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported the Cardinals expect to cut Kolb soon, according to two sources briefed on the situation.

“He won’t be on the roster by this weekend,” one source told Rapoport.

The timing of the news makes sense. Kolb is due a $2 million roster bonus on March 17 and he’s due $9 million in base salary in 2013. The Cardinals made it clear that Kolb would have to take a significant pay cut to remain with the team. It sounds like that’s not going to happen.

It’s quite possible that the Cardinals simply decided that Kolb was not a fit for Bruce Arians’ vertical offense. With Drew Stanton now in place after signing in free agency, the Cardinals now look comfortable enough at the quarterback position. They have Stanton, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Lindley and John Skelton on the roster.

Now none of those names bring fear to any defense coordinator. Bruce Arians will have a lot of work to do to improve the Cardinals offense. It’s  a shame the Cardinals won’t attempt to get a real QB. Larry Fitzgerald deserves better.

Kent Somers from AZCentral sports reports that the Arizona Cardinals are exploring the possibility of trading for 49ers quarterback Alex Smith.

Somers writes:

It’s unknown how serious the Cardinals are about trading for a quarterback for the second time in less than two years. But they are intrigued by Smith’s experience, intelligence and talents, according to the source. They believe much of his struggles early in his career can be attributed to changes in coaches and offensive systems. 

If the Cardinals are considering Smith as their new QB and get burned like the did with Kevin Kolb, the entire Front Office should be looking for new jobs. While the source attributes Smith’s early career struggles to coaching and offensive scheme changes, Bruce Arians did a great job with Andrew Luck so I’m sure they are betting that Arians can do the same for Smith.

But trading a QB inter-conference isn’t too smart unless you know exactly what that QB can do (think Donovan McNabb to Washington). We’ll keep you updated on this trade rumor

Bruce Arians and Ray Horton were once teammates and were thought to be again but now we know that Ray Horton will be the new DC in Cleveland as reported by ESPN.

According to Dan Hanzus at NFL.com “Horton reportedly got into a heated exchange with general manager Steve Keim after he learned he didn’t get the job that eventually went to Arians. If true, it makes sense why Arians believed a clean slate was necessary.”

If that is the case then it make sense that Arians would want to clean house.  Plus you don’t want a Wade Wilson/Jason Garret dynamic going on.

Hopefully Horton will get a real opportunity to interview for a HC job in the future. For now he’ll have to earn more stripes improving the Browns defense.

Photo: Suntimes

The last team without a head coach finally made a decision.  Bruce Arians will be the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals said Arians received a contract for four years, with a team option for a fifth year.

Arians was the Offensive Coordinator/Interim Coach for this year for the Indianapolis Colts for Chuck Pagano. Previously Arians was run out of town in Pittsburgh but led the Colts to a playoff berth after and abysmal 2-14 season.

Arians has showed success in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis but both teams had one position the Cardinals are in desperate need of, a quarterback. In my opinion, Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley have all shown that they can’t consistently get the job done and win games for the organization. If Arians doesn’t get a real QB for the Cardinals he may find himself going back to being an offensive coordinator sooner than he expects.