From the moment the details first emerged regarding the supposed six-year, $100 million contract signed last year by Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, we explained that it’s a two-year deal with a year-to-year team option on the rest of the contract.
More recently, others are waking up to that reality.
Now, the popular theory is that, if Vick doesn’t take the Eagles to the playoffs, he won’t be back next year. Given that, if the Eagles don’t go to the playoffs next year, coach Andy Reid won’t be back, it becomes a no-brainer that the new coach won’t want to invest $15.5 million into an underachieving, turnover-prone quarterback for 2013.
The real question is whether Reid will still want Vick, if Vick and the Eagles do enough to save Reid’s job. In theory, there’s an outcome to the season that gets Reid another chance, but that results Reid reaching the conclusion that Vick can’t be trusted with the job of starting quarterback.
Then there’s the middle ground: Reid stay and Vick stays -- but at a significantly reduced contract for 2013.
If the Eagles offer Vick less and what the Eagles offer is still as much or more than what anyone else would offer, Vick would be stupid to reject the offer, if he wants to stay in Philly.
That’s the option no one has considered. If the Eagles could get Vick to accept a rate that better reflects his market value based on what will have been a pair of subpar seasons, maybe the Eagles will keep him.
But first the guy who runs the show needs to save his job. And with 3-3 possibly becoming 8-8, Reid could be gone, and Vick undoubtedly wouldn’t be far behind.