Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles Tickets - Three Is A Crowd In Philly

With the Eagles paying Michael Vick his $1.5 million bonus recently, it looks like Philadelphia will hold on to his services for a time longer. Though he still could be traded, which would likely be the best case scenario for the Eagles, there is now a significant possibility that Vick will remain on the roster heading into the 2010 season – a new year that is already fairly up in the air for one of the NFL's most stable franchises.

Moving forward this year, the Eagles are in an interesting position, one that is fairly unique and with multiple potential solutions. For the past 11 seasons, Donovan McNabb has been the Eagles' signal caller, providing them with consistency at the quarterback position and allowing them to become one of the prominent teams in the NFL over that time span. After consistently bringing the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game and to one Super Bowl, however, the sentiment surrounding McNabb has shifted in Philly and some have even started clamor for the Kevin Kolb era to begin. Having Vick on the roster only complicates things further as any one of the three quarterbacks could potentially be moved.

McNabb, who will likely be on the fence for hall-of-fame consideration, had one of his best statistical seasons in 2009, though the Eagles lost early in the playoffs and ended another year in disappointment. Consistent with his career, McNabb was incredibly efficient throughout the year, tossing 22 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions in 14 games. Even at the age of 33, McNabb continues to be a viable option as a starting quarterback in the league in a position where solid play is at a premium.

But following a minor injury to McNabb early in the season, backup quarterback Kevin Kolb came on strong and turned heads around the league in the two games he started in McNabb's absence. So well-regarded has Kolb been since his impressive starts that many teams have contemplated trying to obtain McNabb from the Eagles – a notion that was nothing short of preposterous just a couple seasons ago.

With McNabb no longer much of a threat with his legs, it seems that the days of him carrying Eagles teams deep in the playoffs seem to be behind him and one possible solution is to get a few draft picks in exchange for the six-time Pro Bowler. This would certainly be a risky play but one with a high potential rewards if Kolb turns out to be a big-time NFL quarterback. Trading Kolb is also a strong possibility but the Eagles wouldn't get the same value as they would for McNabb, though it would solve their current quarterback dilemma.

In minimal time on the field, Vick also proved that he could be a nice weapon as a wildcat quarterback, though it's unlikely that a team would target him to be a starting QB after his time off and general inconsistency in the passing game. Even with some value to the Eagles, however, keeping Vick around for such a small role as the third string quarterback doesn't seem very feasible considering the money that they will have to pay to retain his services.

In addition to the $1.5 million bonus, Vick will be owed $5.2 million in salary for 2010 if the Eagles don't trade or release him, making him by far the most expensive third-string quarterback in the league. The Eagles will likely seek a trade but it's unclear how much trade value Vick truly has at the moment considering his spotted history and reputation as a run-first quarterback. Regardless of how it shakes out, however, Philadelphia Eagles tickets should continue to be hot commodities moving forward.

Though coach Andy Reid has kept quiet regarding the possibility of returning all three to the squad in 2010, it seems almost a certainty that one will have to go. It would be a difficult decision to let McNabb go after him being the face of the franchise for a decade, but the Eagles have already cut ties with the beloved Brian Westbrook earlier this offseason, which could provide a unique opportunity to move and start a new era in Eagles football. Then there is Vick and his contract hovering above the quarterback situation, making the decision that much more difficult for the Eagles' front office.

On the bright side, in a league where so many teams don't have talent at the quarterback position at all, the Eagles certainly don't have that problem and they have three valuable pieces that could entice them to make a deal. For now, no one in Philadelphia seems to be tipping his hand.

About the Author

This article was written by David James, sponsored by StubHub. For all the best sports tickets like Philadelphia Eagles tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets or special events tickets, the best place to look is StubHub.com.