Michael Vick will be a free agent at season’s end, and there’s little doubt he would like to start in the NFL—he’s said as much. But suppose there isn’t much interest in a 34-year-old quarterback with two career playoff wins. What will Vick do then?
Perhaps the four-time Pro Bowler will return to the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup. It’s an angle we’ve explored before, but now NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport is actually reporting Vick would be open to the idea.
Michael Vick could be a stop-gap starter for 2 or 3 teams. Open to returning to #Eagles as backup because he loves Philly, close with Foles
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2013
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It’s most likely going to be a question of what is best for Vick. There’s always a shortage of quality signal-callers in the NFL, and he could certainly at least land a position where he’d at least be able to compete to be a starter somewhere. The question is would that automatically be a good situation, losing and getting beaten on behind a leaky offensive line?
Here were some of our thoughts on the subject back in November:
And even if Vick is able to land a another starting gig, what does that situation look like? Who’s to say the Eagles don’t provide the best opportunity to make an impact in the NFL?
If Vick is going to be a backup somewhere, why not with the organization that helped him revive his career? Why not with Chip Kelly, whose offense fits Vick’s skill set? Why not with an up-and-coming franchise that appears poised to make some noise over the next few years?
Vick hasn’t shown any hard feelings about losing his job to Nick Foles, and he’s been a model teammate ever since signing with the Eagles back in 2009. One way or the other, the Birds need to obtain a veteran backup to go with Foles and 2013 fourth-round pick Matt Barkley.
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If Vick does take a stop-gap role somewhere, I would suspect it would be with a franchise that already had a dynamic offensive weapon or two, a team he might be able to turn around in a season’s time. The Cleveland Browns with WR Josh Gordon and the Joe Banner tie-in in the front office come to mind.
It’s still too early to tell what’s going to be out there for Vick, but there’s no reason the Eagles wouldn’t be interested. There’s not going to be a better backup option on the market, and for a team that may be thinking Super Bowl for the next couple seasons, it makes sense to have a guy who is capable of coming off the bench and leading a team to victory.
Previously: Could Michael Vick remain in Philly beyond 2013?