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McNabb looking forward to next step

Donovan McNabb won't have to wait until the offseason to part ways with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings have released him. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the move earlier today.

Why now?

So he can pursue opportunities with teams that have suffered injuries at quarterback.

"I just thought the best move for me at this particular point was to move on and clear my thoughts and clear my head and see what's next," McNabb said during a SportsCenter interview.

The Bears are one team that could be interested. They lost Jay Cutler and went with Caleb Hanie last week. Hanie threw three interceptions in a 25-20 loss to the Raiders. Chicago is 7-4 and very much in position to compete for a wild-card spot in the NFC.

"I think there are a lot of teams out there who are in desperate need of a quarterback at this particular point, who are surrounded by veteran players, and teams that play well together," McNabb said.

When asked to describe the last two years, which have been disastrous in Washington and Minnesota, McNabb used the word "exciting."

"I don't regret anything that's happened throughout my career," he said. "You go through ups and downs no matter what you do, if it's in sports or in life, but I look back on my career and it's been outstanding..."

One other team that was thought to potentially be in the mix was the Texans, although John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that McNabb is probably not headed there. Houston lost Matt Schaub for the season, and Matt Leinart suffered a season-ending injury last week. The Texans went with rookie T.J. Yates in their win over the Jaguars. They also signed veteran Jake Delhomme last week. Houston has an 8-3 record and holds a two-game lead over the Titans in the AFC South.

Teams interested in McNabb will have to file a waiver claim by 4 p.m. Friday. If no team claims him, McNabb would become a free agent and could sign anywhere.

The Vikings went 1-5 with McNabb at the helm, before he was benched for rookie Christian Ponder. McNabb had a QB rating of 82.9, throwing four touchdowns and two interceptions, while completing 60.3 percent of his passes. At the time of McNabb's benching, a report surfaced from Michael Lombardi of NFL Network, which questioned his McNabb's work ethic.

During the SportsCenter interview, McNabb said he can bring experience and athletic ability to a team. He also said he's "a guy who is not a locker room cancer" and added that he works hard.

McNabb threw 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in one season with the Redskins in 2010. He turned 35 years old last week.

If you're looking for Eagles-related content, earlier Thursday, I posted on the complicated case and uncertain future of DeSean Jackson.

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