Could Michael Vick still wind up playing elsewhere?


So far this offseason, thanks in large part to the prominence of restricted free agents due to the lapse of the CBA, there have been more trades than in recent memory. Guys like Brandon Marshall, Ernie Sims, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn, and others are all on different teams; Some of whom were expected to move, and others were not.

But one guy who almost everyone expected to move, Michael Vick, is still in Philadelphia with the Eagles and is currently the backup to Kevin Kolb. Vick has made it known, however, that he'd like the opportunity to start elsewhere.

And if a starter goes down somewhere around the league between now and the preseason, Vick could get his wish.

Jason La Canfora of NFL.com reported a couple months ago that is was possible -- highly possible -- that Vick might not get moved until August as a last resort. Many, myself included, laughed at this and dismissed it as ludicrous.

Why would a team wait until training camp or the preseason to trade for Vick? If they bring him in that late, he won't have time to learn the playbook and acclimate himself to the offense. But, with a team like the Buffalo Bills neglecting to draft a quarterback, it could mean they've still got Vick on their short list.

Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and, to a lesser extent, Brian Brohm will all compete to be the starter, but if new head coach Chan Gailey doesn't like what he's seeing, he could easily turn around and bring Vick in at the last minute.

It's likely the Bills won't be competing this season anyway, so if they bring him in for nothing else than to try and light a spark under the team, it could be a worthwhile move.

The problem will be the Eagles and what they feel Vick is worth. Everyone knows there's no shot in hell Vick is an Eagle next year, but Andy Reid and company will still demand at least a fourth-round pick for any team to acquire the embattled quarterback.

I still think it's a bit of a long-shot, but La Canfora's initial report looks like it could come to fruition. Vick is, by all accounts, looking sharp in mini camp and could be returning to the player we all saw before his run-in with the law.

But, as expected, there are some obvious flaws in this: why wouldn't the Bills simply have traded for Jason Campbell, why wouldn't they have done it before the draft, and does Vick really fit the offense Gailey wants to run in Buffalo?

The chances probably aren't good, but it's certainly something worth monitoring.