Michael Vick: Will He Come Close to Earning $100 Million Eagles Contract?

The Philadelphia Eagles are entering a six-year relationship with the league's biggest tease.

And they have only made things worse with enormity of his contract.

Drafted No. 1 overall in 2001, Vick has been the definition of inconsistency throughout his NFL career. His stellar athleticism masks the overriding flaws in his game and has unfairly set the bar too high for him throughout much of his career. 

In his six years with the Atlanta Falcons, he failed to reach the postseason in back-to-back seasons, and they often suffered as a team at the feet of his reckless playing style.

He ran. He threw. He spun. He dazzled. And he also disappointed.

His two postseason trips in 2002 and 2004 truly sum up the hit-or-miss nature of life with Michael Vick at quarterback.

The six-year deal includes nearly half the money in the form of guarantees. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

"

The guaranteed money on Michael Vick's brand-spanking-new, six-year, $100 million contract is about $40 million.

"

Vick has essentially re-invented himself with the help of Andy Reid. His numbers were so eye-popping a year ago that there was talk of handing him the MVP trophy after his demolition of the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football in Week 10.

He threw four touchdowns and ran for two more in that Monday night massacre. At the time he had thrown for 11 touchdowns, zero interceptions, was a 4-2 as a starter and legitimately hadn't even lost a fumble to that point of the season.

But like all things Vick it didn't last.

Vick's closing season numbers, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, are more than representative of his true self. Those numbers are a spot-on reflection of the Michael Vick way of life on the football field.

Looking at Vick's career numbers there is one number that sticks out over all others: 16.

He's made it through a full season only once in his career.

Vick needed only two years, one as a starter, to turn his initial one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Eagles into at least $40 million guaranteed. It is a truly remarkable feat; one worth mentioning with the greatest comebacks of all time.

The superstar quarterback is 31 years old. He's coming off by far the best season of his career in the league and has already earned some of the money by helping to sell the Eagles as the most attractive free agent destination of the year.

But how else does Michael Vick justifiably earn his new $100 million?

By staying healthy for more than 13 games a season? By leading the Eagles to four straight NFC Conference Championship Games? A losing performance in the Super Bowl?

No, unfortunately the only way Michael Vick can earn his money is by breaking his career trends and doing something no other Eagles' quarterback has ever done.

This deal, like most of the Eagles' deals this summer, is Super Bowl or bust.

History doesn't favor the Eagles in this situation. And it certainly doesn't favor Michael Vick either.