For the second straight year, Donovan McNabb will have a new home.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Vikings and Redskins have finalized a deal that will send McNabb to Minnesota. McNabb also will agree to a new contract as part of the deal.
The agreement comes after McNabb reportedly was miffed about the manner in which the situation was handled. A source with knowledge of the talks explained that, in reality, an agreement on McNabb’s reduced compensation had not been reached, and that McNabb was not upset.
Still, the question remains whether McNabb is the right fit for the Vikings. Will he willingly serve as a mentor to first-round rookie Christian Ponder? How will McNabb react if the team is 2-6 at the turn and coach Leslie Frazier decides to get Ponder ready for 2012?
Maybe the last 15 months have humbled McNabb. The fact that he’d allow himself to be treated like something far short of an elite quarterback could be interpreted as a sign that he doesn’t care about appearances, and that he only wants to win.
We’re told that McNabb wanted to be traded to Minnesota in 2010, but that former coach Brad Childress opted to lure Brett Favre back to town. McNabb now gets his wish, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll do any better with his second new team in two years.
If he’s still the starter on December 24, McNabb will get a chance to show the Redskins that it was them, not him, on December 24 at FedEx Field.