No Guarantee McNabb Will Be Back In 2010
While Donovan McNabb likely will remain the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the next 2 seasons, I’ve got to disagree with those who think his recently-reworked contract makes that a given.
No Guarantee McNabb Will Be Back In 2010
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
While Donovan McNabb likely will remain the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the next 2 seasons, I’ve got to disagree with those who think his recently-reworked contract makes that a given.
With or without his restructured deal, McNabb was going to be the team’s No. 1 quarterback this season. But his future with the Eagles beyond 2009 still will be determined by how he and the team do this season. His reworked deal doesn’t change that.
Let me explain. Under the previous terms of McNabb’s contract, the quarterback was scheduled to receive non-guaranteed base salaries of $9.2 million this year and $10 million in 2010.
Under the new terms, that $9.2 million this year is guaranteed, which really is irrelevant, since he was going to get that anyway if he was on the team’s season-opening roster. He also will get a $2.8 million roster bonus later this week and per-game bonuses that total another $500,000 if he is active for all 16 regular-season games.
But the restructuring of the final year of his deal in no way makes it onerous for the Eagles to trade or release him after the ’09 season if they decide it’s time to make a switch to Kevin Kolb.
While McNabb can pocket an extra $1.2 million in the final year of the reworked deal, just $3.5 million of his 2010 money is guaranteed, which is hardly enough to make the Eagles think twice about getting rid of him. Under the reworked terms, his base salary dropped from $10 million to $5 million, with the aforementioned $3.5 million of it guaranteed. He also has a $6.2 million roster bonus payable on May 5 of next year, in addition to $500,000 more in per-game bonuses.
But just as the Eagles did with Terrell Owens, when they released him before he was due a sizeable offseason roster bonus, they can release McNabb prior to next May and won’t be on the hook for a penny of that $6.2 million. All McNabb would be owed for 2010 is that $3.5 million guaranteed portion of his salary.
Bottom line, McNabb’s future with the Eagles beyond this season still will be determined by how this season goes. If he stays healthy and puts up big numbers and leads his team deep into the playoffs, he’ll be back. If he doesn’t, and/or the Eagles underachieve this season, Kevin Kolb will get his chance in 2010. McNabb’s restructured contract doesn’t change that.
Blah blah blah. I'll start caring about 2010 when the Birds lose the NFC Championship in January.— celtic_13
Comment removed.- Non-story. This is just a reach.— HandNik
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- Let's hope he takes us to the Promised Land. Then everyone's happy except for local Cowboys fans.— stingo
- Was this neccessary?— phillyfan14
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FLASH - No gaurantee Les will be around much longer if he keeps writing articles like this one.— Richard Saunders- Stingo... and the local Giants fans, and the local Redskins fans, and don't forget the McNabb/Reid/FO haters! They'd rather be proven right than to see McNabb and Reid win!— knighn
- McNabb will perform well this year, get a new contract and Kolb will be traded for a draft pick.— rwright611
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- i dont understand why people make comments about how everything any reporter writes is a "non-story" or "just a reach" or "useless info". if you dont like the article, then why are you reading it?? i am not a contract expert, so i actually found this info useful. its good to know that the Eagles aren't definitely stuck with McNabb next year too.— FireAndyReid
- well i say we need to win it within these next 2 years that will determine wether Mcnabb is here or not after 2010. Once Mcnabb leaves the team will be totally different, and if Kolb is the qb(whom i have absolutly 0 faith in)..God help us.— trelle
- From this perspective, why was McNabb in such a lather to restructure his deal? But I do take the stance that, if he wins, everyone will have a collective memory loss that there was ever a problem. Win a SB and repeat win the SB and he'll be HOF material and forever cemented into Philly historical lore as one of the greatest of all time. PS: every newly minted Yankee gets that tag, by the way.— RichieAllen64
Agreed, trelle, if Kolb ever gets the QB job the barfing will be in the stands, not on the field.— tpizza
