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| QB Michael Vick got his second $100 million contract. |
When Vick was released from prison in 2009, it didn't seem as if a lot of teams really wanted his services. Teams with struggling quarterback situations at the time, like the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills seemed to be questioning his off-the-field issues as opposed to getting him on board and looking to see if he can be the franchise quarterback he once was. The 49ers continue to struggle at the quarterback position, and it seems the Browns and the Bills have figured out their quarterback situation for now.
Surprisingly, the Eagles signed Vick to a two-year deal worth about $5 million. The Eagles already had QB Donovan McNabb and future franchise QB Kevin Kolb. All of a sudden, Vick was in a position where he probably didn't know if his NFL career would ever be where it was when he was in Atlanta. After the Eagles went 11-5 in the regular season, they bowed out to the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. The Eagles only scored seven points. McNabb was the starter, but it was Vick's touchdown pass to WR Jeremy Maclin that provided the only points of the game.
The Eagles got rid of McNabb in the offseason via trade to the division-rival Washington Redskins. That propelled Kolb to the starting position, and Vick as the backup. The Eagles came into the 2010 season with a lot of doubters. They didn't prove the doubters wrong in the first game against the Green Bay Packers, as they struggled mightily in the first half. A concussion for Kolb in the first half put Vick in the game, and Vick almost led the Eagles back to victory.
Vick would go on to start the next three games, which happened to be impressive victories at the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars, before starting at home against McNabb and the Redskins. Vick got hurt in the game, and the Eagles eventually lost. The Eagles won the next two games with Kolb as the starter, but it was clear the city wanted Vick as the starter. Vick went on to have a career game a month later against the Redskins en route to a 59-28 win.
Vick had one last hoorah at the Meadowlands against the New York Giants, leading them to victory after being down 31-10 in the fourth quarter. Vick wasn't impressive the next week in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and in the playoff game against the eventual champion Green Bay Packers, was lackluster offensively and was shut down in only scoring 16 points in the loss. Vick hasn't been impressive this preseason either, but several other players haven't been impressive either.
The Eagles gave Vick the franchise tag, worth $15 million for the season. If I were the Eagles, I would've paid Vick $15 million for the season and see if he can duplicate the success he had in the 2010 season. This could turn out to be a terrible investment if Vick doesn't pan out this season, and plays like he did against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings and the Packers. Only time will tell whether Vick is worth the money.
With Vick being paid that much money, where does that leave WR Desean Jackson? Jackson is only going to be paid around $500K this season, and his production thus far is not worth just $500K. The Eagles spent money this offseason, but none of it on Jackson. Jackson was Vick's reliable deep threat, as he is the fastest guy in the league.
Jackson took a crushing blow against the Falcons during the 2010 season when CB Dunta Robinson gave him a helmet-to-helmet hit going over the middle. Jackson may not want to go over the middle this season, and who can blame him? Another concussion can end his career, and he wouldn't have made a lot of money in his brief career. For Jackson, he needs to take care of himself and make sure he's around to potentially make a lot more money next offseason. With Vick, who's 31, it is Super Bowl or bust in the next two seasons.
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