The six-year, $100 million extension he’d signed in 2011 was looking shaky. In the quirky contract world of the NFL, only about a third of that deal was fully guaranteed, little of which was left on the remaining four years. Set to make $15.5 million in 2013, Vick, who no longer has a firm hold on the Eagles starting job, may well have been cut in a cost savings move.
So Vick did the smart thing. He agreed to tear up the deal in favor of a one-year contract worth up to $10 million. The move salvages a big chunk of what he stood (but wasn’t guaranteed) to make next season, while opening the door to early free agency. It’s a gambit, but a good performance in 2013 would likely get him at least one more nice long-term deal , especially with a weak field to compete with after next season.
“Sense Vick and his agent surveyed the potential free agent landscape, saw it lacking and moved forward with the Eagles deal,” tweeted Andrew Brandt, an NFL contract expert and former Green Bay Packers executive who now works at ESPN.
Could Vick kick things back into high gear? Sure. New Eagles’ coach Chip Kelly employed the speed game to build the University of Oregon into a college football powerhouse. His fast break style figures to agree with Vick, still quick after more than a decade in the league (with a two-year time out for legal issues, hence fewer miles on the body).
For Vick, Kelly might be the gift sent to restore big numbers to his stat line, and by extension his wallet. At the least, it gives quarterback and coach a one-year window to see if they ‘re right for each other.
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