The +New York Jets has just signed Michael Vick to a $5 Million dollar contract. He was widely regarded as the top free-agent quarterback, but he didn’t generate a lot of interest on the open market. In fact, the Jets were his first visit.
After finishing last season on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ bench, Vick said recently he wants to be a starter again, so he obviously feels he will have that shot in New York. He’s expected to battle incumbent Geno Smith in an open competition. Despite an encouraging finish, Smith hasn’t received a commitment as the 2014 starter.
Vick’s arrival allowed the Jets to part ways with Mark Sanchez, who was released Friday. A $2 million roster bonus was due Tuesday. Sanchez missed last season, recovering from shoulder surgery. His salary-cap charge is a prohibitive $13.1 million.
Sanchez was on the verge of claiming the starting job last preseason when he hurt his shoulder. Smith got the job by default, but there was no experienced backup — a void that may have cost the team a playoff spot. Ryan stuck with Smith through a brutal slump, in part, because there was no seasoned alternative.
Vick, who will turn 34 in June, won the Eagles’ starting quarterback job in a preseason competition with Nick Foles last summer. After pulling a hamstring in an Oct. 6 game against the New York Giants, Vick tried to return to the field three weeks later. He aggravated the injury and spent the rest of the season as Foles’ backup.
The Eagles signed Vick in 2009, after he served his 21-month federal prison sentence and was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The move was controversial among fans who objected to Vick’s dogfighting activities and also because the Eagles already had Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb on their roster.
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