Donovan McNabb Released from Minnesota Vikings: NFL Teams Should Avoid the QB

Let me start off by saying that I have always really liked Donovan McNabb as a person. He just seems like a good guy all the way around. That said, at 35 years old his best days in the NFL are far behind him and teams would be wise to pass on him now that he has been cut by the Minnesota Vikings.

McNabb was benched by the Vikings in favor of rookie Christian Ponder in mid-October and it wasn't hard to figure out why. In six games, the six-time Pro Bowler completed 94-of-156 passes (60.3 percent) for just 1,026 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions. His quarterback rating of 82.9 simply isn't good enough for a guy who was supposed to come in and help the Vikings compete for a playoff spot.

Last season as a member of the Washington Redskins, McNabb lost his starting job to Rex Grossman (of all people). So in two straight seasons McNabb has been on a losing team that replaced him with a less-than-stellar option under center. That should tell us all something. 

With the Redskins in 2010, McNabb played in 13 games and completed 275-of-472 passes (58.3 percent) for 3,377 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His passer rating of 77.1 ranked 24th out of the 31 quarterbacks who qualified.

At this point, McNabb is no better than a veteran backup, but several teams are considering adding him as a starter for their stretch playoff runs. That would be a huge mistake. Teams would be better served to stick with their current backup options who have been with the team all season and know its system.

Right now the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans are all looking like they will try to claim McNabb as he hits the waiver wire. None of them should. He's not going to help anyone this season.