McNabb to the Rams "not yet completed"
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
McNabb to the Rams "not yet completed"
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
ORLANDO – Andy Reid confirmed yesterday that the Eagles are entertaining offers for Donovan McNabb.
Asked if a deal between the Eagles and Rams that involved McNabb for St. Louis’ second-round pick (33d overall) was on the table, a league source said that it was “not yet completed.”
Whether that deal or any deal is imminent is unclear. The Eagles had no comment. Rams general manager Billy Devaney told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he has not “talked to Philadelphia about any of their players.”
However, another source close to the situation said that the two teams have talked, but that the Eagles are still trying to get the best deal possible for their 33-year-old franchise quarterback. The Rams also hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and could use that selection to take Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
McNabb would be willing to go to the Rams if he was given a contract extension, according to a source close to the situation. He would not be willing to play for Buffalo or Oakland, two moribund franchises that might be willing to take McNabb without an extension.
McNabb has publicly stated that he wants to remain with the Eagles and retire with the only organization he has played for. He released a blog post yesterday after Reid said for the first time publicly that the Eagles were listening to offers for him, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick.
“My position hasn’t changed,” McNabb wrote. “I’ve said all along that I would like to win a Super Bowl and finish my career in Philadelphia.
“I understand the situation well and just hope whichever direction the Eagles decide to go in, they do it quickly. I think that would be best for me, Kevin, Michael, the Eagles, and any other teams involved. No matter what happens, I’ve already begun preparing to have an outstanding season in 2010.”
McNabb, meanwhile, hasn’t spoken to Reid in months, according to one source. He has spent most of the off-season at his home in Arizona.
The Eagles are reportedly in search of a second-round draft pick for McNabb, but they may have to take something less with the list of potential suitors drying up. Early in the off-season they set the bar high. They were asking for two first-round draft picks and a third-round draft pick, according to a league source.
Yesterday, Reid said he liked the new format for this year's draft, which features only the first round on the first day.
"I'd love to have that first pick of the second day," Reid said, referring to the 33d overall pick. "Where you can sleep on it, regather your thoughts, which you normally don't get to do."
The Bills and Raiders, two teams in need of a spark, could be likely matches. They could trade for McNabb, who is the last year of his contract, without asking for an extension. If they wanted an extension, McNabb could simply refuse to negotiate.
Reid said that the team has placed a value on each of his quarterbacks. It is unlikely that the Eagles would get much in return for Vick right now. The asking price for Kolb is higher than it is for McNabb, a league source said.
If the Eagles can’t make a deal, Reid said that McNabb would remain his starter, Kolb his backup and Vick the third stringer. He was asked if some of the offers piqued the team’s interest.
“We’ll go back and look through those and think through them a little bit, away from this situation here,” Reid said. “There’s nothing right now that I’d jump up and down about. But there has been some interest.”
If a deal between the Eagles and Rams was struck, McNabb would work under offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, his former quarterbacks coach with the Eagles. St. Louis head coach Steve Spagnuolo was a defensive coach under Reid.
This Safty is an Absolute Stud. He is the best part of the deal!— ChrisM- wolf, you've used that smoke/fire line ten times today, stop taking up space repeating the same lines....you've stopped using the same stats, but come up with this pathetic attempt at humor and wit.— Bleue
Comment removed.- I've been reading some of these posts and it just drives me crazy. Some of you "fans" know nothing about this sport and what some players mean to a team. Should McNabb be traded? For what is on the table? Yea probably. Does the guy, who pretty much carried this team on his shoulders for the past 11 years deserve to be bashed by couch GMs every single day of the week? Ha, don't even need to answer that. This is a team game, and blaming him for every single loss is insane. And don't give me the "well he's the highest paid on the team, he should get the blame." Bull! A QB is only as good as his supporting cast, offense, defense, special teams, etc. You Kolb, Vick, Elway, Montanta, would do anything with this team? Yea right...if he is gone, so be it, the offer is more than enough to ship him off. But give the guy some credit for making this team worthy of being in the top 5 teams in the NFL over the past 10 years. Some of you people are losers...— EaglesBleedMoney
- Stipulating that this turns out to be true: I can only hope that Andy is as right about KK as he was about Mc5. That would seem to lock Vick in as the #2, and considering his age, he should be there for at least 2011 also. I just can't WAIT to see how this shakes out this year. Bless your heart, and my sincerest Thanks for helping turn this franchise around when you were younger and less injured.— TBear
- Get this done and with these picks we can upgrade soon and these key positions that need to be fixed. It is time to move on and get a fresh feeling for this team. It is sad in many ways but, this is a business and the time is right for change!— Sharpy24
- Dev111 8-8 pretty much sums up the Eagles combined record over the last 5 years dating back to 2004, you know, the last time anyone could actually describe Mcnabb as 'mobile' with a straight face
- If this is true, it will be the biggest thing to happen to the Eagles since Donovan was drafted. Although I think the Eagles offense has some nice weapons, the O-line is a huge question mark and would be a huge detriment to Kolb. I hope all the Eagles fans understand that if this trade happens, there will be a couple of seasons of building that line as well as some of the pieces of the D - and Kolb will need your support while that happens. With that being said, I want to thank #5 for everything he has done for the Birds. He will easily go down as one of the best signal callers to wear Eagle green and I wish him the best of luck.— CTL
- amazing how quickly this is developing. yesterday was the first time reid acknowledge anything. then today mcnabb says something. now this. please happen.— bobbyd24
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That's a fair trade IMO. It gives McNabb a new start, it gives the Eagles a very good safety which will allow Jackson to stay at CB and allow a Brown trade and it gives us a valuable draft choice as long as AR doesn't botch that one up too [he could trade it to the Giants or draft a punter]. The Rams can now take a DT or trade down for multiple picks or still take Bradford and let him sit. It just remains to be seen whether they can sign DM to an extension which is why the trade isn't finalized IMO. If it happens, it's about all you could expect to get and DM is going to a place where he's wanted [former coaches] which is best for him. Pull the trigger. Bill1966, did you just get a wiff injection? You know more than the Eagles FA. Please.— tpizza- more lies from Eagles managment. "McNabbs our man McNabbs our man!" then they trade him. I was going to root against the Eagles but if they get rid of McNabb, I'll give them another year or two. But the managemnt is still a bunch of dimwit liars.— beezer77
- On the saftey we are getting "Oshiomogho Atogwe is the most attractive free safety on the market, not because of anything revolving around upside, veteran leadership, or cost effectiveness. He's the premier free safety on the market because he's head and shoulders above every other FA Safety that is out there. Alright, so let's take a closer look at what we have here. We have an Pro Bowl level playmaker that is easily the prototype of what you want out of the free safety position, great range, sure tackling, and WR level speed. Then we take a look at things away from game time, and we've got someone who does the work needed to not only stay healthy, but actually wants to become better than he already is. There is a lot to be said about a guy who is already at a Pro Bowl level, yet still puts in extra work to get better at takeaways. The downsides of having a few lapses in coverage, and a weak tackle now and then are both things that as a student of the game he should be able to improve, neither are limits on what he can do and with his work ethic it's fairly logical that he'll continue to improve in his minor lapses. Strengths: Daily team observers can't even fathom how good Atogwe's numbers might be in a defense unlike the Rams' that isn't so often in such predictable passing situations. Pure and simple, he is a quality playmaker with great range and sure tackling ability. He possesses the speed to say with wideouts, in addition to having a real nose for the ball in run support. Tutored by Chavous, Atogwe also has become a very serious student of the game, as well as a hard worker who has made his hands better by working overtime catching balls out of the JUGS machine on a regular basis. Atogwe also takes good care of his body and has proven to be quite durable, starting every game the past three seasons." http://www.windycitygridiron.com/2010/3/18/1379163/o-j-atogwe-a-gamble-worth-making— ChrisM
- Do it already— fthebirds
