Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Eagles have had no contract talks with Vick

Despite indications that the Eagles want Michael Vick for next season and beyond, the team and the quarterback have yet to discuss a contract extension, according to sources close to the situation.

Michael Vick will become a free agent after the season unless the Eagles are able to re-sign him. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Michael Vick will become a free agent after the season unless the Eagles are able to re-sign him. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)Read more

Despite indications that the Eagles want Michael Vick for next season and beyond, the team and the quarterback have yet to discuss a contract extension, according to sources close to the situation.

The Eagles will meet internally in the next few weeks to discuss Vick's future, or for that matter, any other player they would like to extend or re-sign, a team source said.

In the past, the Eagles have used November as a time to lock up players with expiring contracts or budding stars before they hit the free market.

However, with labor talks at a standstill and uncertainty about what a potential collective bargaining agreement could look like, NFL teams might be reluctant to negotiate new contracts.

Vick, in the last year of a two-year deal, could become one of the most sought-after free agents in the off-season. The league's leading passer is playing the best football of his career and in the process has incrementally repaired his image.

There are still eight games to play, however, and Vick already has missed three because of injury. Still, if the Eagles hope to bring him back and can't agree to an in-season extension, Vick said the team's loyalty could factor into his decision to return.

"I think so," he said. "When nobody else wanted me, they did. I definitely have to take that into consideration when it's time to make a decision on something."

If the Eagles want to avoid losing Vick when free agency begins in early March, they simply could place a franchise tag on the 30-year-old. Of course, the franchise tag may not even exist if there is a new CBA, and there may not be a free-agency period if the owners and players can't agree on a new deal and there is a work stoppage.

Vick, though, is poised to eventually benefit from an unlikely series of events in which he went from pariah just 15 months ago on his reinstatement to the NFL to the face of the Eagles franchise.

"I could never have imagined that," Vick said. "It's great to be in this position. But the only thing . . . I know is we're winning and playing well. Sky's the limit for everything."

The Eagles signed Vick in August 2009, just months after he was released from a federal prison. He spent last season as one of Donovan McNabb's backups and entered this season as Kevin Kolb's backup.

But after Kolb was injured in the opener, Vick took over and was given the job by Week 3. In the games in which he has started and finished, the Eagles are 3-0. They are 5-3 overall and a game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East as they prepare to face Washington on Monday night.

With the playoffs a possibility, Vick said he hasn't had time to consider where he may play next season.

"I'm enjoying the moment," he said. "I'm enjoying being here with this season. I enjoy being with [coach] Andy [Reid]. I'm just having fun right now. I put it all in God's hands. Whatever happens happens."

Vick's 105.3 passer rating is tops in the NFL. He has completed 60.8 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. Even though he's more of a pocket passer than he ever was, Vick is still a threat to run and has gained 261 yards on the ground.

He suffered rib-cartilage damage, however, during one of those runs against the Redskins a month ago. Even when he returned Sunday to lead the Eagles past the Colts, 26-24, Vick refused to slide as he scrambled.

"I don't know how to slide, so I won't get into that right now," Vick said. "I either get down, I go headfirst, or dive, or just fall. For some reason, I always think I'm going to get hurt or something crazy's going to happen [by sliding]."

Vick managed to run out of bounds a few times before getting hit. His scrambling ways, though, make him susceptible to injury and leave Kolb perhaps more valuable than other backups.

Once deemed the heir apparent, Kolb also has shown the capability to be a starting quarterback. He is under contract for another season and still could be a factor in the Eagles' long-range plans.

Kolb, who was awarded an extension with an $11 million signing bonus in April, is slated to earn $1.4 million next season.

Eagles at Redskins Monday at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN, MYPHL17) Line: Eagles by 3

Inside

Matt Ryan drives the Falcons past the Ravens, 26-21. C5.