Eagles, McNabb: New Deal On The Way?

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While one unhappy player stews at home, another is quietly working on some new terms.  Derrick Gunn reports the Eagles and Donovan McNabb are working on his contract, though it appears it will not be the extension many thought the quarterback was seeking.  Rather than add to the remaining two years on his existing deal, it appears the sides will settle on restructuring what is already in place.

The Eagles were really placed between a rock and a hard place from the get go, mainly because the guaranteed money on McNabb's contract ends this season, though he will still have one year remaining.  To the casual fan this might be no big deal, but name another franchise quarterback in the NFL who has played under similar circumstances.  By reworking the existing numbers, the club can guarantee some or all of Donovan's 2010 salary, giving him security without binding either side long term.

There have been questions all along whether the front office intends to keep McNabb beyond '10, or even '09 for that matter, so it's not a huge surprise they are not extending, but it could be telling of the quarterback's motives as well.  Donovan went from extension demands, to wait and see, and finally coming to what may be an agreement on a deal with no new years at all.  It's entirely possible he is preparing for, if not plotting, his own escape in the near future.

Of course it's too early to say that for sure, not without seeing the figures of a new deal, but assuming there are no additions, McNabb would expect to hit free agency in 2011.  Knowing this, if the Eagles are not going to re-sign or for some reason think they are unable to keep him, it's very probable they would seek a trade next spring.  It's still possible the two sides revisit an extension next year-- for instance, McNabb could get hurt and Kolb could prove he is a bust, or he could stay healthy and they could win it all-- otherwise it looks like one or both sides are working on an out pattern.

Theoretically, they could keep him for both years, but risking a player of McNabb's caliber hitting free agency is borderline insane considering the value he has in a potential trade, and the idea of using the franchise tag and paying a then 34-year-old upwards of $20 million is a less than desirable option.

For now it's all speculation.  The reports though, if accurate, imply there may not be much time left for Donovan in midnight green.  I know we've all heard that before, but it becomes much closer to reality when his contract dictates what must happen.

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