Michael Vick Contract: Dynamic QB Isn't Worth His Weight in Gold

There is no doubt that Michael Vick is one of the most explosive players in the NFL, if not the most explosive. That being said, the Philadelphia Eagles made a very big mistake giving Vick such a big contract.

I understand what they were trying to accomplish, and I understand that at the moment Vick is arguably one of the top three or four quarterbacks in the league, but the length of this contract is absolutely absurd. ESPN.com reports on the details of Vick’s lucrative contract:

Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a six-year contract on Monday that again makes the Pro Bowl quarterback one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

A league source told ESPN's Andrew Brandt the deal is worth $100 million and a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that it contains roughly $40 million guaranteed.

Is Michael Vick really worth a six-year $100 million contract?

I believe the answer here is a resounding no.

What were the Philadelphia Eagles thinking?!

It’s easy to forget, but just a few years go Vick was behind bars, and there were major questions about his ability to return to the NFL at all, let alone make an impact for a team.

The Eagles decided to take a chance on him, and for the first year it seemed like a long shot. When they shipped off long-time franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb and handed the reigns over to Kevin Kolb, again it seemed like Vick was destined to be a backup quarterback with potential for the occasional wildcat formation play.

Kolb went down though and the Michael Vick experience found itself right back on the rails again, and this time better than we ever imagined.

Vick proved all of his doubters wrong. As a starter he displayed an uncanny ability to throw from the pocket, which was something he severely struggled with in Atlanta, but he still had that explosive touch out of the pocket.

He was the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL, and he made the Philadelphia Eagles contenders.

The Eagles had a very productive off-season, bringing in star corners Nnamdi Asomugha, trading for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and even stellar backups like quarterback Vince Young and running back Ronnie Brown. Now many people think that the Eagles are the team to beat in the NFL and should even be considered Super Bowl favorites.

Everything hinges on the shoulders and legs of Vick, so I can see why the Eagles decided to give him the contract.

Simply put, it was for far too long, and far too much though.

Vick’s style of play makes him extremely susceptible to getting injured, and we saw that manifest itself in a few games last season.

He also only has one stellar year under his belt with the Eagles. To me, that’s not enough to justify $100 million over six years.

I don’t criticize the Eagles for re-signing Vick, but I do have a problem with the parameters of the contract.

I have doubts that he will be able to play at this level for six more years, let alone stay healthy for that time period. Even if he does struggle, he reportedly will still have $40 million guaranteed coming his way, which is quite a nice chunk of change.

If he suffers a significant injury or loses that “magic touch” that he displayed in 2010, this contract will come back to haunt the Eagles.

Not only does it hinder their ability to make other big moves in the future, but now they have less room to re-sign other key players they will want to keep on the roster.

It made sense for the Eagles to give Vick a new contract, and I don’t think any of us were expecting something cheap, but this was way over the top.

Vick is a great quarterback, but he’s not worth his weight in gold.