Chip Kelly Wooing Michael Vick To Stay In Philadelphia?

Dec 13, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) on the sidelines during game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. The Bengals defeated the Eagles 34-13. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

There has been all sorts of speculation this offseason regarding the future of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick with the vast majority of opinions insisting that Vick would not remain with the Eagles and may indeed fail to find a landing spot anywhere much like predecessor Donovan McNabb. One opinion out there has disputed the possibility of Vick leaving Philly – ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. Speaking on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike In The Morning on Thursday, SalPal gave a very succinct view on the situation with the main thrust being that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is personally trying to convince Vick to stay.

"“Vick has had several one-on-one meetings with Chip Kelly.””Kelly is the master recruiter out of college. He is trying to recruit the good graces of Michael Vick right now, convince him ‘Hang around with us, I’m your best option’. For Vick and agent Joe Seagal, they’ve got to say ‘Alright, if the Eagles are the best option, what do they possibly do money-wise?””It’s a very complicated situation but it goes back to this – if you’re the Eagles, why do you invest any time or any money in a quarterback who is not your future?”"

It’s no secret that any team that takes on Vick in 2013 will have issues signing him given the high salary he commanded recently with Philly. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians has already made it clear he will not take on Vick and Sal Pal indicated Merrone in Buffalo wouldn’t take him either. A reunion with Andy Reid in Kansas City is unlikely according to various reports. Given their recent bad experience with former OC Tony Sparano and quarterback Tim Tebow it is also unlikely the Jets would take on Vick. Finally, I would also rule out Oakland given that they are looking to cut costs and may be jettisoning Carson Palmer in the coming months. Let’s take stock – Michael Vick is aging, his skills are in decline, he has shown himself to be injury prone in recent years and is owed a whopping $15.5 million. All that tells us one thing – either Vick accepts a deal where he takes a big paycut or he likely walks away from the game in much the same way as the aforementioned McNabb. In terms of motivation for Vick, Paolantonio raised several salient points.

"“Michael Vick just bought a house here in South Jersey, he just got married to a woman who has a nice little business in Philadelphia, he’s got some children here and has put down roots.”"

When it comes down to how Vick and other players in similar situations make these kind of decisions, often it is personal circumstances that can have the biggest impact on staying with their current team. This is especially true of veteran players. Vick’s options are extremely limited and the fact that so many people close to him would be affected by a change of teams now is a powerful motivator. Vick has a chance to turn his career around and maybe get a few more years either in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Right now it is evident that Nick Foles isn’t ready for the big time. There is talk that Dennis Dixon, who formerly played under Kelly at Oregon and is now the Ravens third string quarterback, would also be brought in as a possible future starter for the team but once again he would likely require at least a month or two to get up to speed. Vick would likely get the opportunity to be the regular season starter for Philly for the first 4-6 weeks. In this time, he has the chance to prove his detractors wrong by performing well and staying healthy. If it doesn’t work out, he can walk away. If it does, he gets maybe three years as a backup or even a solid job offer as a starter. In the end, it is still most likely that Michael Vick’s career in Philadelphia and possibly the NFL is over. Still, with Chip Kelly doing so much to attempt to keep Vick on we cannot rule out the possibility he will indeed stay with Philly. One positive thing in his favor – the fact that the team just let the deadline pass for him to be paid $3 million guaranteed this coming season. Will Michael Vick remain in Philly? Give us your thoughts below.