Could Vick's late-season efforts be enough to keep him?


Michael Lombardi of NationalFootballPost.com and NFL Network is reporting that a member of the Eagles organization has told him that the Eagles now intend to keep Michael Vick, regardless of his $5.2 million salary in 2010.

The Eagles apparently feel as though they're "in a luxury position" with having three, as they feel, starting-caliber quarterbacks.

The Birds could be leaking false information to someone with a national presence like Lombardi in an effort to drive up the asking price for anyone interested in trading for Vick, which is much more likely than the Eagles actually paying over $5 million for a 30-year old, third-string quarterback.

It becomes more likely that the Birds would want to keep him absent a salary cap as the team isn't exactly hurting for money, but paying him that much doesn't make sense for the team. Not only that, but taking a pay-cut doesn't make sense for Vick.

Essentially, Vick holds all the cards in this situation. Either the Eagles will pay him the $5.2 million he's due in 2010, or he can refuse a pay-cut and get released, allowing him to pursue a starting opportunity elsewhere.

And with the pickings incredibly slim on free agent quarterbacks this year, and the lack of a salary cap, Vick could find himself grossly overpaid to a wide-eyed coach who believes he can resurrect Michael Vick circa 2004.

However, I don't believe any of that will matter because I don't see the Eagles actually keeping him. My bet is that the Birds will move him in the next couple of months, otherwise they will have two unhappy quarterbacks, Vick and Kevin Kolb, on their roster.

Vick seemed very humbled and incredibly grateful to the Eagles last season, but a guy can only take being a backup for so long before his competitive nature kicks in. Say what you will about Vick, but he's most certainly an intense competitor on the field and will not be satisfied with three to five snaps per game.

This seems like a tactic from where I'm sitting, and I believe the rest of the league realizes this as well, but it could still help the Eagles drive up their asking price -- especially to a quarterback-needy team.