Two quarterbacks in the NFL just recently signed major deals to stay with their respective teams for the long term. One of those signal callers was Kevin Kolb. After being traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals, Kolb signed a 5 year, $63 million extension with almost $22 million guaranteed.
Now, the man that took over his job in Philly has also signed a new deal for a substantially larger amount. Michael Vick recently agreed to terms with the Eagles that would keep him in the City of Brotherly Love for another six seasons. The price tag? A cool $100 million, with $36 million being guaranteed.
After hearing these numbers (which are now in somewhat of a dispute), I thought to myself: does Vick actually deserve that much more money than Kevin Kolb?
After being incarcerated over the span of two football seasons, Michael Vick has made a tremendous comeback in the NFL. He led the Eagles to the playoffs last season, passing for over 3,000 yards and maintaining a 100.2 quarterback rating. However, during the regular season, Vick was only able to start in 12 games due to being behind Kolb on the depth chart in the beginning and getting injured later on.
2006 was the only year in Vick's entire NFL career in which he was able to stay healthy for all 16 games. Now he is getting paid as the third highest quarterback behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Not before joining Philadelphia was he able to eclipse the 3,000 yard mark, so what is to make us believe he can continue with that success? If prorated to 16 games, Kolb would also have surpassed the 3,000 yard mark in 2010.
Another thing the Eagles may have to be wary of is Vick's volatile behavior. Yes, to the public he has made his condolences and claims he is moving on, but I wouldn't doubt for a second that he could get in trouble again in the future. Paying a guy more guaranteed money than Philip Rivers gets may turn out to be the wrong choice. Some of you may disagree with this assumption, but Vick's past will always be with him. Cardinals fans do not have to worry about something like this with Kolb, as he is not known for getting into trouble and is an absolute football gym rat.
Age is another thing that should be taken into perspective. Michael Vick just turned 31 years old, can he really afford to play in the manner that he does for another six seasons? Effectively, probably not. Kevin Kolb is a much more pure pocket passer and will therefore be more durable. He is also only 27, which makes a huge difference. He will still be able to get another contract when his current deal is up if he performs well.
The offensive lines for both teams are questionable to put it mildly, but Arizona's appears to be improving while the Eagles' keeps getting banged up and injured. That means Vick will have to put himself in harm's way even more often, creating plays from outside the pocket and scrambling away from 300 pound defensive linemen. The possibility for injury becomes exponentially higher.
Looking at the way it is now, I still would rather have Michael Vick. He has more experience and a better Touchdown:Interception ratio. He can create plays and we have seen his ability to lead the offense. In three or four years, I have the feeling that this will be different. Kevin Kolb will have a firm grasp on what is expected of him in Arizona and he'll be completely comfortable with the offense.
So while Vick is making over $16 million a year and Kolb is making around $12 million, let's sit back and wait to see if this deal will come back and bite Andy Reid in the rear. He shipped Kolb out of town only to pay an injury prone, scrambling quarterback a lot more money. In the end, I project Arizona will have the last laugh.
Many fans felt that the Cardinals overpaid Kolb for the lack of experience he has in the NFL. When comparing it to what Michael Vick just received, do you still feel the same way?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.