2011 NFL Free Agents: Michael Vick's Career Season in Philadelphia

Michael Vick’s season is over, as his Eagles lost in the opening round of the playoffs, but his career is far from it.  

With the departure of longtime signal caller Donovan McNabb prior to the season, Kevin Kolb was supposed to be the Philadelphia Eagles new franchise quarterback. However, Vick would put a twist to those plans, as he would pass for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns with a career-high passer rating of 100.2 for the season. Add in 676 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, and you have a very dangerous quarterback.

His 2010 season totals were the best of his career, as he never surpassed 3,000 yards passing and failed to reach a 60 percent completion percentage until this season. Of course, having great talent in the likes of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy surely helped Vick.

Famed offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has played a tremendous role in Vick’s quest to become a pocket passer, and teams now have to respect him in the passing game because of it. In Week 10, the Washington Redskins failed to do so, and Vick went 20-28 for 333 yards and four touchdowns through the air to lead the Eagles to a 59-28 victory.

To this point, Eagles head coach Andy Reid has not made a commitment to Vick as his quarterback for the 2011 season, and according to Vick, he “absolutely” wants to return for a third season in an Eagles uniform.

The team has the option of placing a franchise on him for one season at around $20 million dollars, which is the average salary of the top five players for his position in the NFL.

The franchise tag allows each team to designate a player who would be an unrestricted free agent, and the team has 22 days prior to the first day of the new league year to do so with it ending at eight days before the first day of the new league year.

With that being said, Vick’s counterpart in Philadelphia, Kevin Kolb, has stated he wants to be a starting quarterback in the league next season, or he would rather play elsewhere if he does not get that chance in Philly. Kolb is currently under contract for next season for $1.4 million, but if the team decides to bring Vick back in a starting role, then they will most certainly trade Kolb.

The 30-year-old Vick will enter his ninth season as an NFL quarterback, and for the time being, the team he will lead remains unknown. While he did struggle with the blitz in the latter part of the season, his development as a passer surprised most everyone, and his ability to extend plays with his speed on the ground will guarantee him a starting role when the 2011 season rolls around.

The Philadelphia Eagles seem to be a perfect fit for Vick, and just as the old saying goes, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”