Kevin Kolb is back with an opportunity to win the starting quarterback job after the Arizona Cardinals not only made a big trade for him but signed him to big a contract.

The Cardinals, of course, were hot in pursuit of Peyton Manning just last month and now they’ll have Kolb compete with John Skelton for the starting job. That is what coach Ken Whisenhunt has said but the guess here is the Cardinals have to roll with Kolb at the start considering the investment that has been made.

The good news with Kolb is he finally feels healthy. But as Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports, it was a considerable road back from a concussion that knocked him out of an injury-plagued season in December.

Kolb missed the final three games because of the concussion and he didn’t feel better until February because of a “severe” head injury.

“To be honest with you, when I first went home it was still pretty severe,” Kolb said. “It kind of worried me because I figured once I got away from the game it would clear up pretty fast. But it didn't and I stayed in contact with our guys here. Within three or four days after that three-week period it was fine. I was glad to be feeling back to normal.”

That means it took Kolb roughly seven weeks to recover from the injury. Fortunately, he’s back to normal and participating in the voluntary offseason workout program. This will be a big offseason for Kolb, who needs to develop as a player and a leader.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune