The 2009 contract restructuring without an extension (i.e., “financial apology“) that the Eagles gave to quarterback Donovan McNabb includes an additional payment that comes at a curious point of the offseason.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Eagles owe McNabb a $6.2 million roster bonus as of May 5, 2010 — and that comes after the draft. The timing gives the Eagles an extended opportunity to trade McNabb before having to “pay the man.”
Though Schefter reports the date wasn’t selected intentionally, there are no accidents when it comes to the timing of big-money payments like this. Agents routinely push for the money to come due as early as possible in the offseason, which forces the team to make a decision quickly as to whether the player is in the plans for the coming season — and which gets the player onto the free-agent market while the big money is still flowing, if his current team decides to move on.
With 2010 set to unfold sans salary cap, McNabb’s agent would have been committing malpractice if he didn’t notice the proposed date of May 5 — and if he didn’t press for something earlier.
So we suspect there was a discussion about the date of the payment, that the Eagles decided not to move the due date to March, and that McNabb’s camp received something in exchange for agreeing to the later date. (It’s also possible that the Eagles initially wanted to pay the money in July or August, and that May was the compromise date.)
Either way, we will continue to believe that McNabb is available to be traded, unless and until his contract is extended beyond 2010.
Possible targets, in our view, include the Vikings, Cardinals, Broncos, Seahawks, and Browns.