Michael Vick says he's open to testing the free-agent market at season's end for a starting job but didn't rule out a return to Philadelphia as the Eagles backup. Image courtesy of The Sporting News
Nick Foles has cemented himself as the Eagles starting quarterback moving forward.
That much is assured after throwing 27 touchdowns, three interceptions and finishing the season as the NFL's most efficient passer with a rating of 119.2 while leading the Eagles from the depths of a 4-12 2012 campaign to a division championship in Chip Kelly's first season as head coach.
The question now is, what does the future hold for Michael Vick?
Vick of course won the starting quarterback job in an open training camp competition but after injuring his hamstring earlier this season was supplanted by Foles and his strong play ultimately led Kelly to give him the keys to the engine.
“I’m playing again next year, that’s the way I look at it,” Vick told CSNPhilly.com . “I know at some point I’ll be back out there.”
Vick is a free-agent at the end of this season and has taken a team-first approach at every opportunity since he lost his starting job to the second-year Foles. After his strong second-season, Foles will be the quarterback next season and there will likely be no pre-season competition that allowed Vick to win the starting job this year.
“I don’t worry about it,” Vick said. “My skill set is still there, my arm is still there, my legs are still there, I’m still a playmaker, that’s evident. I think at some point, I’ll be playing somewhere.”
Vick will be 34 when the season kicks off in 2014 and only started 16 of a possible 32 games over the most recent two-year stretch, which will likely leave head coaches and general managers skeptical of his future.
Much like was the case last off-season when it was clear that Vick's eroding skillset and propensity for turning the ball over, let alone his injury history, left a barren landscape across the league where he could be assured a starting job, Vick said he's open to allowing history to repeat itself with a second- return to Philadelphia.
Even if he wouldn't be afforded the chance to win the starting job.
"Yeah, if it doesn’t work out, if all else fails, absolutely,” he said. “You can never rule that out."
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
