Decision on Michael Vick Could Be Coming for Eagles by Next Week

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Up to this point, we can only speculate who Chip Kelly and
the Eagles will roll with under center next season. Nick Foles seems the
logical choice, if only because he’s under contract and has shown some potential,
but there is also talk coming out of the Senior Bowl that they could look to the
draft. Then there is Michael Vick, who some people still maintain would be a
fit for Kelly’s spread offense.

Believe it or not, the Super Bowl of all events could bring
some clarity to this picture. That’s because as soon as the clock hits zero on
the big game this Sunday, the timer starts ticking on a short three-day window where
the Eagles must release Vick in order to avoid paying him a roster bonus.

The Eagles have until Wednesday, February 6 to reach a decision
on Vick before they owe him $3 million. Assuming he isn’t part of the franchise’s
long-term plans, why give him another penny?

Of course, there is this belief Vick could play quarterback
in Kelly’s system, but even if that were the case, there are several roadblocks
standing in the way.

For starters, Vick has a base salary of around $16 million
in 2013, far more than the Eagles are likely willing to pay. Between his
inability to stay healthy and generally substandard performance, a 33-year-old
Vick simply is not worth that level of financial investment. He is unlikely to want
to renegotiate, too, whether out of personal pride or because he would prefer
to hand-pick his next situation.

It might be false to presume Vick would mesh with Kelly’s
philosophies anyway. That line of thinking seems largely based around the
notion this style of offense will require a mobile quarterback – not that injury-prone
Vick could withstand it anyway – but Kelly himself has nixed that idea. In
fact, Vick’s penchant for sacks and turning the ball over probably make him a
less-than-ideal candidate to run Kelly’s offense, or any offense for that
matter.

Vick doesn’t appear to have much working in his favor as far
as staying in Philadelphia is concerned. What about beyond the supposed
deadline though?

It’s possible. By NFL standards, $3 million isn’t a ton of
money, so the Eagles could conceivably pay that, and then… well that’s just it.
Think it over some more? As if the tape is going to show them something
different. Hold a quarterback competition? That sounds like a fine use of a $16
million player.

If the team is going to move on no matter what, why wait? After
all, the Eagles have never been an organization to pass up a savings.

The only other conceivable reason they would hold off is if
they were attempting to trade Vick, which will be easier said than done. The
Eagles are not the only front office that is going to have qualms about shelling
out that kind of money for a deteriorating quarterback who was vastly overrated
even at the pinnacle of his playing career. Unless Vick was willing to
renegotiate for another club, there is little chance of this happening.

And then what kind of return would the Birds get on Vick –
enough to merit playing this game of chicken? Is covering the $3
million roster bonus worth it to net a pair of mid-round draft picks that
wouldn’t earn that much combined over the entirety of their rookie deals?

It would be nice if they could get anything at all in return
for a quarterback that will probably move on and start someplace else for
another a season or two, but it may not be all that feasible. And maybe he can
play in the spread, maybe not, but that’s an awful lot of cash to commit to
maybes. The likeliest scenario is the Eagles let Vick go next week, because it might be the only scenario that makes sense.

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