"The Cardinals' 1-6 start prompted suggestions from the masses about which players should be toe-tagged (contractually speaking) at season's end.

The 6-2 record since has quieted the torch-and-pitchfork crowd. But with the off-season just five days away, let's take a look at some names that have come up over the past few months and how realistic it is that we might have seen the last of them in a Cardinals uniform.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb: He's not going anywhere. The Cardinals traded away too much (cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, second-round pick in 2012) and committed to a five-year contract worth as much as $63 million.

Kolb has missed six starts and most of a seventh game this season due to injury, but the Cardinals are too deep in this relationship to sever it after one year. And just as important, who takes over if Kolb is gone?

John Skelton has shown potential but it's questionable whether he's ready to be a starter.

The Cardinals are paying Kolb a $10 million signing bonus and a $2 million in salary in 2011. He is due a $7 million roster bonus in 2012.

That bonus is guaranteed for injury only, meaning the Cardinals could decide to cut him based on performance."