Eagles coach Chip Kelly hasn’t named a starting quarterback. Which means there’s still a pretty good chance the starting quarterback won’t be Mike Vick.
So what happens if Nick Foles gets the job?
I’m glad you asked. Or I’m glad I asked on your behalf.
Kelly may want to keep Vick as the backup to Foles, even though Vick will be making a base salary of $3.5 million, seven times more than Foles’ second-year salary of $500,000. But if Vick is going to be a backup, he may want to go to a team where he thinks he has a better chance of playing.
Moreover, the indignity of getting benched when Vick has declared it’s still “my team” and “my job” could be enough to prompt Vick to want to move on.
If Vick wants out, his contract is more conducive to a trade than the reports of one-year “up to $10 million” would suggest. For starters, the Eagles already have paid him a $3.5 million signing bonus. And the base salary of $3.5 million isn’t out of line, given the contracts paid to other veteran backups.
Vick can earn another $500,000 via 16 per-game roster onuses worth $31,250 each. He also has $2.5 million available in incentives based on playing time.
Teams that could have interest in Vick if he’s available via trade or as a free agent include the Bengals, Raiders, and Cardinals. The 49ers, who have Colt McCoy and Scott Tolzein backing up Colin Kaepernick would be foolish not to at least consider the possibility of acquiring Vick. Injuries to starters or veteran backups also could create a market where one may not currently exist.
Thus, crazy as it may seem now, the league’s August story lines could include the end of the line for Mike Vick in Philadelphia. That could be one of the main reasons Vick wants to know where he stands; if he’s going to be benched, he surely wants to have the most time to plan his next possible career move.