Vick Signing With Patriots Doesn't Make Sense - For Vick
Friday was a wild one in New England after various media outlets had erroneously reported that Michael Vick was in Foxboro for a workout. That ended up not being the case, with Vick reportedly instead spending the day in a Virginia federal bankruptcy court.
There are those who won't rule it out, including head coach Bill Belichick who wouldn't throw out the possibility when pushed by members of the media on Friday. He dished out the usual stance of coaching the guys who are here, and left the media perplexed after his press conference.
“You know, I think we would consider . . . we’re coaching the players that we have on the field right now, so that’s who’s here," said Belichick when asked if he would consider Vick. "So anybody who isn’t here, is there a potential that they could be here? Yeah, there probably is.’’
It's simple - Belichick isn't going to rule anything out. With the way that things change around the league from season to season, setting that precident publicly simply doesn't make any sense. That's the reason why he likely won't close the door on these rumors.
The bad news for fans is, there's no way Vick is coming to New England. I'm going to go out on a limb and throw a little logic behind this, because coming to the Patriots simply doesn't make any sense for the former Atlanta quarterback.
Vick owes a lot of people a lot of money. From what I've read regarding his situation, the bankruptcy protection he's seeking is going to help absolve him from a large amount of his debts, but certainly not all of them. Needless to say a driving factor behind his return to the league is likely going to be whether or not he can hit the type of payday he's looking for.
I can't see Belichick offering Vick - who hasn't played football in two years - a multi-million dollar deal to come to the Patriots. It just doesn't make any sense, and while Vick wants to play in the NFL again, he's not going to do it for short money.
As it stands NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he'll consider Vick for full reinstatement by week six, which at that point it makes more sense for Vick to sit and wait for an opportunity that could arise from a midseason injury on a team that could be desperate enough to offer him better contract.
Even if Vick managed to land a deal in the $1 - $1.5 million range, that's more than many established guys including Ty Warren ($1.225 this season), and Logan Mankins ($1.4 million). I just can't see him getting anywhere near that here in New England. They would also likely be looking to lock him up in a multi-year deal so it would make financial sense for them to have him here. That also doesn't make sense for Vick.
Not to mention the fact that with contracts coming up for quite a few guys on this football team (including Vince Wilfork who has yet to sign an extension) it's not exactly going to look very good if the Patriots were to throw a ton of money at a guy who just got out of prison instead of rewarding guys who have been good for the team, and just as good with their charitable contributions within the community.
So for now if you can't let go of the possibility, think of it from Vick's point of view. Right now for him it's not about having the chance to win a ring. It's about trying to recover from his financial problems and re-establishing himself in the NFL for another big payday - and he's probably not willing to wait very long for that. Call me crazy, but considering this team's reputation for not throwing money around to guys foolishly, I just don't see him cashing in here.
