It has been 10 years since a significantly notorious Cardinals trade

Former Arizona Cardinals general manager Rod Graves made a serious blunder with the 2011 trade of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for Kevin Kolb.

10 years ago on July 28, 2011, the Arizona Cardinals traded fourth-year cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Before “Keim-time” trades brought the Cardinals players like Chandler Jones or DeAndre Hopkins, former Arizona general manager Rod Graves made a serious blunder with this 2011 trade.

The Cardinals had selected Rodgers-Cromartie in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He proved his worth in the three seasons he played in the Valley, racking up 13 interceptions, including four that he returned for touchdowns.

Trading for Kevin Kolb was not a good decision by the Arizona Cardinals

Kolb was coming out of his fourth season with the Eagles when he was traded to the Cardinals. During his time with Philly, he had accomplished almost nothing to speak of aside from five starts in 2010 and less than 2,000 passing yards in four years.

Kolb would only spend two, injury-riddled seasons in Arizona and amass just 3,124 yards and 17 touchdowns in 15 starts before his career came to end after 2012.

Rodgers-Cromartie would continue playing until 2019 for the Eagles, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Football Team. His 12-year career was largely productive and he proved himself to be a valuable cornerback who could succeed at the NFL level.

The departure of Rodgers-Cromartie influenced the Cardinals’ decision to select Patrick Peterson in the 2011 NFL Draft. Many Arizona fans still wonder what the team’s defense might have looked like if Rodgers-Cromartie and Peterson had been given a chance to play together.

Instead, the Cardinals lost a good cornerback and gained a failure in Kolb, who joined the long list of mediocre quarterbacks that have stained Arizona’s sidelines throughout the years.