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Vick won't re-negotiate Eagles contract

While many have closed the book on Michael Vick’s tenure with the Eagles, even though he’ll start Sunday against the Giants in the season finale, there are scenarios in which the team could decide to bring him back for 2013.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick passes during practice at
the team's NFL football training facility, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012,
in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick passes during practice at the team's NFL football training facility, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)Read more

While many have closed the book on Michael Vick's tenure with the Eagles, even though he'll start Sunday against the Giants in the season finale, there are scenarios in which the team could decide to bring him back for 2013.

The Eagles do have Vick under contract through 2015, after all. But he's due $15.5 million in base salary next season and the team is unlikely to want to retain him at that figure if he is to compete with Nick Foles for the starting quarterback job or be the emergency backup.

Would Vick be willing to renegotiate his contract? He declined to speculate on such a premise earlier this week, but an NFL source familiar with the quarterback's thinking said that Vick would not restructure his deal.

The Eagles have a decision to make on Vick by Feb. 6. If they release him before that date they will be off the hook for a guaranteed $3 million that kicks in three days after the Super Bowl.

If they decided to keep Vick, they have several options. They could try to trade him, but if he was averse to re-working his contract then it would be difficult for the Eagles to find a team willing to pay such a hefty salary for a 32-year old that has missed 11 games over the three seasons because of injury.

The Eagles could be content to keep Vick around through training camp just in case Foles does not develop as they had hoped. If they believed Foles was ready then they could simply cut Vick before the season and eat the $3 million.

If the Eagles think Foles isn't ready they'll have Vick to fall back on. The problem with that approach is that the team would be unlikely to keep Vick's $15.5 million salary and remain under the cap unless they had significant space set aside or were willing to clear space just before the season.

Both scenarios are unlikely if Vick refused to re-negotiate his contract.

On Friday, Vick was asked if wanted to return.

"I have to just sit back and think about what has transpired and look at the situation as a whole," he said. "Of course, you would like to come back and play. I love the organization and I love what they've done for me. … But if not, it's been wonderful and I understand the nature of this business. At some point, we all got to move on."

Why would the Eagles want to keep Vick?

For one, Foles is still an unknown. The rookie started in six games, made some improvement, and showed that he was capable of competing at this level. But he also displayed some bad tendencies during his 1-5 span as the starter.

Vick said that he wants to start next season.

"I can't see myself not being a starter right now," he said. "I just feel like I have too much talent and too much to offer."

He will have the opportunity to make his case on Sunday. What if he performs well and leads the Eagles to victory? Could that strengthen the argument that he deserves another season here?

The Eagles don't have many other options aside from Vick and Foles. They're likely to have a top 5 pick, but the general consensus is that there is not a bona fide franchise quarterback in the draft.

Perhaps West Virginia's Geno Smith or Southern Cal's Matt Barkley make a strong push over the next few months of evaluations. Maybe the Eagles feel like they can get a steal later in the draft. But right now the draft is not considered the place to find the next Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.

There are a few starting-caliber quarterbacks that could be on the trade market, but San Francisco's Alex Smith and Seattle's Matt Flynn – the two most mentioned – are available for a reason.

There is only one big-name free agent, but Baltimore is expected to either extend or place its franchise tag on Joe Flacco. Vick, if released by the Eagles, would be the next most attractive free agent despite the way the last two seasons has gone.

Several teams have done an effective job of implementing the read option into their offensive game plans. Vick could be appealing to a coach that wants to move in such a direction. If Oregon's Chip Kelly is truly at the top of the Eagles' list to replace Andy Reid, couldn't he be enticed by Vick in his spread option?

More than likely, Vick's last game with the Eagles will come Sunday. It doesn't have to.