What Does Eagles Statement Mean For Donovan McNabb?

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There's a name that surprisingly did not come up much yesterday, if at all.  The Eagles just flatly denied both a contract renegotiation and a trade for a player, citing "league MVP's, Super Bowl champion quarterbacks, and perennial Pro Bowlers" who failed in their efforts to force an organization's hand because "their teams have required them to wait until their contract expired or there was only one year remaining."

How quickly we all forget the quarterback of this team seeks a contract extension as well.

Timeline: with two years remaining on a deal originally signed in '02, McNabb went public with his desire for a new contract sometime after his mid-season benching.  During the offseason, sources then revealed he didn't intend to agree to terms unless he was happy with the personnel, going so far as to suggest he might also request a trade.

Well, Donovan: where do you stand now?

Does this statement not equally affect Donovan?  At this point in his career, does he still fall in the category of the "less than a handful of circumstances" which warrant a renegotiation?

More importantly for us, how can this possibly end well?  It has turned into a nifty offseason for the Eagles which, with the addition of a rookie running back, has the potential to bring the bite back to the Birds ground attack.  It's an offense that, top flight receiver or no, McNabb should be far more comfortable than he was at any point last year.

Except now there is this thing and all the drama that comes along with it.  Forget Sheldon.  That would be a loss, but nothing overwhelming.  We know Donovan can be a head case though, and that's without a contract situation hanging over everyone's head.  The last guy you want to hear that excuse from is the quarterback.

Everyone is beyond tired of the millionaire professional athlete demanding more money, but it's a reality with the Eagles.  Compared to his peers, Sheldon Brown might be underpaid, and McNabb probably feels justified because there aren't any other "franchise QBs" in the NFL that play on a non-guaranteed contract.  Simply because they already make tons of cash doesn't automatically mean their situation is fair relative to their career.

Then again, that's not really the point either.  Usually when these problems occur, it seems like it will all be water under the bridge by September, or at least buried.  In this case, the presumed leaders of both the offense and defense are unhappy, and right or wrong, it seems to alter performance.  Can the Eagles win the Super Bowl if their QB is in a bad mood?

Actually, maybe it's better if Donovan has something more to play for than just winning a ballgame.

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