When assessing whether Mike Vick has a chance at becoming the starting quarterback for the Jets, the financial investment becomes relevant. The more the team pays a guy, the more likely he plays.
For Vick, it was widely reported that he’ll get $5 million this year from the Jets. The magnitude helped create the impression for some that he has a great chance at winning the job.
The real numbers weren’t as widely reported.
Per a source with knowledge of the actual deal, Vick is only guaranteed $4 million. Half comes from a signing bonus, and the other half comes from a fully-guaranteed 2014 base salary.
That’s a lower annual rate than supposedly lesser quarterbacks, like Chad Henne, Matt Cassel, and Josh McCown. All three are getting at least $5 million per year on two-year deals signed this month.
Then there’s Matt Schaub, whom the Raiders are giving at least $8 million this year and as much as $11 million.
The best news for Vick is that the one-year deal gives him a shot at hitting the market again in 2015. Given that he opted to sign for $4 million for one year in 2014, he’ll never come close to the six-year, $100 million contract he signed less than three years ago.
Then again, that one was reported incorrectly, too. It was a five-year, $80 million deal. And he played only two years of it before it was transformed into a one-year contract.
UPDATE 10:06 a.m. ET: We’ve learned that Vick can earn another $1 million, based on the playing time incentives included in his deal. He’ll make $100,000 if he takes 50 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps, $300,000 for 60 percent, $550,000 for 70 percent, $900,000 for 80 percent and $1 million if he plays at least 90 percent. So, basically, he needs to play at least eight full games to get an extra $100,000. And he needs to play 14 or 15 games to get another $1 million.