McNabb vs. Vick: Not Just a Return to Philly, but a Battle of Contract Year Quarterbacks

While the Ravens-Steelers rivalry matchup this weekend is a headlining game; on the opposite end of Pennsylvania, the weekend’s marquee matchup between the Redskins and Eagles features the return of Donovan McNabb to Philly. McNabb’s return, the surprising resurgence of Michael Vick, the battle between mentor and mentee provide this game with compelling storylines, but an interesting compensation storyline in this matchup is that both quarterbacks are currently seeking their next contracts as both are in the final year of their respective deals and therefore both have a lot to gain financially in 2010.

Upon his arrival in Washington, it was commonly assumed that McNabb, whose final contract year pays him $5.5 million ($3.5 million of which is guaranteed), would immediately receive a contract extension. Four weeks into the regular season, McNabb and the Redskins have yet to execute a new deal, which has led some to question whether McNabb could be one-and-done in Washington.

It appears that McNabb has taken a wait and see approach to his contract situation. Not extending McNabb as soon as he arrived was probably a prudent decision for both McNabb and the Redskins. For the Redskins, it would appear that the ghost of the trade-and-sign deal for Brandon Lloyd remained at bay while the club waited to see exactly what they had in their newly acquired signal caller. For McNabb, he similarly would appear to have taken the approach of patiently evaluating the environment in Washington before committing to a new deal.

While only three games into the season, from the club perspective, McNabb has provided the leadership presence the club needed and on the field has proven he still has a lot in his tank. So why not do a deal now with the Redskins? With contending clubs such as the Vikings and Cardinals potentially looking for new quarterbacks in 2011 and with those clubs being further along than the Redskins, why would the soon-to-be 34 year old McNabb pass on the possibility of going to one of those clubs via free agency after 2010 and instead commit himself to a multi-year deal with an uncertain Redskins club.

Clearly, the Redskins could preclude McNabb from leaving via free agency through the use of the Franchise tag (assuming there is a Franchise tag as part of a new CBA that would provide football in 2011), but with Peyton Manning yet to sign his inevitable record-breaking contract, the fully guaranteed franchise tag for a quarterback will easily exceed $17 million guaranteed for just one more year of commitment to the Redskins.

McNabb would seem to be in no rush to make a multi-year commitment to the Redskins. There is always the risk of injury, but McNabb has made a lot of money in this league so he’s in no hurry for his next payday. In exchange for taking on the risk of catastrophic injury, McNabb is seeking an ability to control his future as much as possible. In short, McNabb becomes a free agent for the first time in his career this coming offseason and truly controls his destiny and destination as he enters the final phase of his career, or he gets franchised and makes a ton of money for a one year commitment to the Redskins. Sure, McNabb has spoken of finishing his career in Washington and said other things that a “good soldier” should say, but this isn’t McNabb’s first rodeo and in light of the options discussed, it would be surprising if the Redskins signed a multi-year McNabb extension during the 2010 season.

Meanwhile, on the opposite sideline this Sunday, Michael Vick is also positioned to potentially sign a multi-year extension or possibly hit the free agency market. However, Vick’s circumstances differ significantly from McNabb’s. Between McNabb and Vick, it would appear Vick is the more likely of the two to sign a multi-year extension during the 2010 season or shortly thereafter.

Keeping in mind that the Eagles gave Vick a shot at redemption by controversially signing him prior to the 2009 season, there’s a certain amount of extenuating circumstances that lend itself to Vick staying in Philly. Moreover, just as McNabb looks to finish his career on a Super Bowl contending team, Vick finds himself on a club that perennially ranks as one of the top teams in the league.

Currently, Vick is slated to make $3.5 million in his final contract year of 2010, of this amount $1 million is guaranteed and up to $2.75 million of additional compensation is available via incentives. By comparison, after the trade of McNabb, when it appeared Kevin Kolb would be the Eagles’ 2010 starter, the Eagles re-did Kolb’s contract by extending him by one season (2011) and in exchange for this additional year gave Kolb $12.2 million in new money, all of which is guaranteed.

While Vick still has some road to travel before the club makes the decision to make a hefty financial investment in him (after all he’s only been the starter in Philly for two games), it wouldn’t be surprising if the Eagles leveraged the uncapped year and placed a significant amount of Vick’s new money in 2010. By placing a significant amount in 2010, if Vick proves to flame out after the 2010 season and the salary cap returns as part of a new CBA, then it makes terminating Vick’s contract significantly easier from a future cap management perspective.

Prior to the 2009 season, the Chiefs traded for and extended the contract of Matt Cassel. While Vick is absolutely a more accomplished quarterback than Cassel, just like Cassel, there is a certain level of uncertainty regarding the long-term viability of Vick as the Eagles’ starter. In the case of Cassel, the Chiefs chose to commit to him for two seasons, 2009 and 2010; during that time, Cassel would earn $27.8 million ($13.9 million/year over two years), all of which was guaranteed. In the Cassel contract, the Chiefs have the ability in year three (2011) to pay him a $7.5 million option bonus, which would then add the 2014 season onto the contract. If the Chiefs choose to not exercise this option, then they have Cassel under contract for three more seasons at a total compensation of $18.3 million or $6.1 million/year over those three years, a value in today’s quarterback market. If the Chiefs choose to exercise the 2011 option on Cassel, then over 2011 – 2014, his total compensation will be $35 million or $8.75 million/year, which also represents a long-term value at the position.

Applying this structure to Vick, the Eagles could very well provide the resurgent signal caller with new money in 2010 and 2011 at possibly the tune of $14 million/year over 2010 and 2011 for a total compensation of $28 million over those years. As the Eagles and Vick finish the 2011 season, the club can position themselves to have to make a decision between Kolb, whose contract would be expiring, and Vick who would have a significant option bonus or roster bonus that would have to be decided upon as they enter the 2012 offseason and every offseason thereafter covered under the contract. The pay-as-you-go structure that could kick in during the contract years beyond 2012 of a Vick contract would be ideal for an older quarterback like Vick, whose prized athleticism may or may not have escaped him at that phase of his career.

Like McNabb, Vick could play out the remainder of his current contract in hopes of hitting free agency or getting franchised at an amount in excess of $17 million for one season. Either way, Sunday’s matchup pits two quarterbacks, who not only share a common bond due to their time last season as teammates and as friends, but also two quarterbacks whose contract situations should provide further marquee headlines over the next four months.



Follow J.I. Halsell on Twitter: @SalaryCap101

Tale of the Tape | Washington (1-1) @ St. Louis (0-2) | Week Three

REDSKINS				RAMS
Pos	No	Player	Guar $	Guar $	Pos	No	Player
Offense			$87,975,500	$140,868,000	Offense
LWR	84	GALLOWAY, JOEY U/Pit	$0	$0	LWR	89	Clayton, Mark T/Bal
RWR	89	MOSS, SANTANA T/NYJ	$10,000,000	$0	RWR	16	Amendola, Danny P/Phi
LT	72	Williams, Trent 10/1	$36,750,000	$3,893,000	LT	76	Saffold, Rodger 10/2
LG	66	DOCKERY, DERRICK 03/3	$8,200,000	$13,000,000	LG	63	Bell, Jacob U/Ten
C	61	RABACH, CASEY U/Bal	$4,200,000	$20,000,000	C	60	Brown, Jason U/Bal
RG	75	HICKS, ARTIS U/Min	$1,000,000	$100,000	RG	73	GOLDBERG, ADAM T/Min
RT	77	Brown, Jammal T/NO	$0	$33,000,000	RT	77	Smith, Jason 09/1
TE	47	Cooley, Chris 04/3	$14,000,000	$100,000	TE	47	Bajema, Billy U/SF
QB	5	MCNABB, DONOVAN T/Phi	$3,500,000	$50,000,000	QB	8	Bradford, Sam 10/1
FB	45	SELLERS, MIKE CF98	$1,000,000	$275,000	FB	44	Karney, Mike SF09
RB	26	Portis, Clinton T/Den	$9,325,500	$20,500,000	RB	39	Jackson, Steven 04/1
Defense			$70,998,700	$53,922,319	Defense
LDE	94	Carriker, Adam T/SL	$0	$24,990,000	LDE	72	Long, Chris 08/1
NT	96	KEMOEATU, MA'AKE CC/Car	$300,000	$4,250,000	NT	98	ROBBINS, FRED U/NYG
RDE	64	Golston, Kedric 06/6	$0	$50,000	RDT	71	Gibson, Gary SF09
LOLB	98	Orakpo, Brian 09/1	$12,100,000	$1,895,000	RDE	96	HALL, JAMES T/Det
LILB	59	FLETCHER, LONDON U/Buf	$10,500,000	$100,000	SLB	53	DIGGS, NA'IL CC/Car
RILB	52	McIntosh, Rocky 06/2	$0	$3,290,000	MLB	55	Laurinaitis, James 09/2
ROLB	99	CARTER, ANDRE U/SF	$9,000,000	$0	WLB	59	Grant, Larry P/SF
LCB	22	Rogers, Carlos 05/1	$0	$13,600,000	LCB	24	Bartell, Ronald 05/2
SS	30	Landry, LaRon 07/1	$17,500,000	$755,000	SS	43	Dahl, Craig SF09
FS	41	Moore, Kareem 08/6	$98,700	$4,100,021	FS	21	Atogwe, OJ 05/3
RCB	23	Hall, DeAngelo SF08	$21,500,000	$892,298	RCB	32	Fletcher, Bradley 09/3
Special Teams			$0	$5,275,000	Special Teams
P	6	BIDWELL, JOSH CC/TB	$0	$1,175,000	P	5	JONES, DONNIE R/Mia
PK	4	Gano, Graham SF09	$0	$4,000,000	PK	3	BROWN, JOSH U/Sea
LS	57	Sundberg, Nick SF10	$0	$100,000	LS	45	MASSEY, CHRIS 02/7
TEAM TOTAL			$158,974,200	$200,065,319	TEAM TOTAL

Notes from Guarantee Analysis:

- Note: Pardon the technical difficulties on the appearance of this page if you're viewing it from the home page of the blog.


- In week one the Redskins faced a Cowboy offense that has $147M guaranteed to the starters of that unit; conversely the high-octane Texans offense has $52M guaranteed.  This week, the Redskins face a Rams offensive unit that has $140M in guaranteed money dedicated to its offensive starters; showing that money can't buy effectiveness & drafting at the top of the draft is very expensive.

- The Rams' "Trenches + QB" guarantee of $120M is head & shoulders above the same metric for the Texans & Cowboys, $34M & $74M respectively.

- The Rams' last two 1st round picks, Sam Bradford & Jason Smith, combine for $83M in guaranteed money; falling just $5M short of the total guarantee ($88M) of the entire Redskins' starting offensive unit.

- The Rams' $53M guaranteed to its defensive starters is $37M less than that committed to the Texans' defense and nearly $50M less than that committed by the Cowboys.

- Rams receiver Mark Clayton has quickly become fellow Sooner Sam Bradford's favorite target; Clayton, currently playing under a one-year contract, is the Ram who has the most to gain financially from a solid 2010.  So far he's off to pretty good start in securing a relatively lucrative extension.

REDSKINS		RAMS
Offense		Defense
Trenches + QB	$54,650,000	$34,575,000	Front 7
Skill	$33,325,500	$19,347,319	Back 4
Total	$87,975,500	$53,922,319	Total
Defense		Offense
Front 7	$31,900,000	$120,268,000	Trenches + QB
Back 4	$39,098,700	$20,600,000	Skill
Total	$70,998,700	$140,868,000	Total
Special Teams		Special Teams
Total	$0	$5,275,000	Total
Team Total	$158,974,200	$200,065,319	Team Total

Recap: Tale of the Tape | Houston (2-0) @ Washington (1-1) | Week Two

Most Valuable Player: Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, $7M guaranteed
Schaub's 497 passing yards represents the third most passing yards achieved by a Redskins opponent in the franchise's history.  Coming off of a 2009 season in which he threw for 4,770 yards, 6th most in NFL history, Schaub could be lining himself up for a new contract.  Schaub is currently playing under a contract that was constructed when he was acquired from the Falcons and there was uncertainty around whether or not he could be a franchise quarterback.  Schaub has proven, when healthy, to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the game, and yet his $7M guarantee and $8M/year contract is far below the market value for an elite quarterback.  Schaub currently has 2010 & 2011 on his deal; look for Schaub, just like Drew Brees who also has 2010 & 2011 left on his deal, to get a lucrative high-end quarterback contract in the very near future.

Least Valuable Player: Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, $21.5M guaranteed
Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson is arguably the best wide receiver in the game and makes a lot of elite, highly paid corners look bad over the course of the season; however, when underrated wide receiver Kevin Walter goes for 144 yards and Jacoby Jones goes for 53 yards, it signifies an overall lack of productivity in the defensive secondary.  It's expected for Hall to be that secondary's playmaker, and with 52 pass attempts, there was plenty of opportunity for the secondary to make plays.

Random Notes:
- the 18 yards rushing by the Redskins was the 3rd lowest output in franchise history

- the 426 passing yards by Donovan McNabb represent the most passing yards by a losing Redskins quarterback in franchise history.

- McNabb's 239 passing yards in the 1st half represents the second most 1st half passing yards in Redskins history.

- as previously mentioned, the 497 passing yards by Matt Schaub are the 3rd most by an opposing Redskins quarterback in franchise history.

Tale of the Tape | Houston (1-0) @ Washington (1-0) | Week Two

REDSKINS				TEXANS
Pos	No	Player	Guar $	Guar $	Pos	No	Player
Offense			$87,975,500	$52,169,250	Offense
LWR	84	GALLOWAY, JOEY U/Pit	$0	$10,000,000	LWR	80	Johnson, Andre 03/1
RWR	89	MOSS, SANTANA T/NYJ	$10,000,000	$8,000,000	RWR	83	Walter, Kevin R/Cin
LT	72	Williams, Trent 10/1	$36,750,000	$6,515,000	LT	76	Brown, Duane 08/1
LG	66	DOCKERY, DERRICK 03/3	$8,200,000	$5,250,000	LG	74	Smith, Wade U/KC
C	61	RABACH, CASEY U/Bal	$4,200,000	$3,000,000	C	55	Myers, Chris T/Den
RG	75	HICKS, ARTIS U/Min	$1,000,000	$804,250	RG	62	Caldwell, Antoine 09/3
RT	77	Brown, Jammal T/NO	$0	$10,000,000	RT	73	Winston, Eric 06/3
TE	47	Cooley, Chris 04/3	$14,000,000	$0	TE	81	Daniels, Owen 06/4
QB	5	MCNABB, DONOVAN T/Phi	$3,500,000	$7,000,000	QB	8	Schaub, Matt T/Atl
FB	45	SELLERS, MIKE CF98	$1,000,000	$1,600,000	FB	44	Leach, Vonta SF06
RB	26	Portis, Clinton T/Den	$9,325,500	$0	RB	23	Foster, Arian CF09
Defense			$70,900,000	$90,459,665	Defense
LDE	94	Carriker, Adam T/SL	$0	$12,500,000	LDE	94	Smith, Antonio U/Arz
NT	96	KEMOEATU, MA'AKE CC/Car	$300,000	$500,000	NT	95	Cody, Shaun U/Det
RDE	64	Golston, Kedric 06/6	$0	$12,500,000	RDT	91	Okoye, Amobi 07/1
LOLB	98	Orakpo, Brian 09/1	$12,100,000	$26,500,000	RDE	90	Williams, Mario 06/1
LILB	59	FLETCHER, LONDON U/Buf	$10,500,000	$452,500	SLB	52	Adibi, Xavier 08/4
RILB	52	McIntosh, Rocky 06/2	$0	$21,750,000	MLB	59	Ryans, DeMeco 06/2
ROLB	99	CARTER, ANDRE U/SF	$9,000,000	$56,915	WLB	54	Diles, Zac 07/7
LCB	22	Rogers, Carlos 05/1	$0	$490,250	LCB	29	Quin, Glover 09/4
SS	30	Landry, LaRon 07/1	$17,500,000	$0	SS	31	Pollard, Bernard SF09
FS	37	Doughty, Reed RFA/2	$0	$6,000,000	FS	26	WILSON, EUGENE SF08
RCB	23	Hall, DeAngelo SF08	$21,500,000	$9,710,000	RCB	25	Jackson, Kareem 10/1
Special Teams			$0	$750,000	Special Teams
P	6	BIDWELL, JOSH CC/TB	$0	$400,000	P	1	TURK, MATT SF07
PK	4	Gano, Graham SF09	$0	$350,000	PK	4	RACKERS, NEIL U/Arz
LS	57	Sundberg, Nick SF10	$0	$0	LS	46	Weeks, Jonathan CF10
TEAM TOTAL			$158,875,500	$143,378,915	TEAM TOTAL

Notes from the Individual Starters Analysis:

- Last week's opponent, the Cowboys, had invested $147M in guaranteed money to its offensive starters; this week's opponent, the Texans, have committed $143M in total to offensive & defensive starters.

- the high-powered Texans offense has great contract value relative to productivity in quarterback Matt Schaub ($7M guaranteed) and running back Arian Foster ($0 guaranteed); Schaub could be in line for a new contract after 2010.

- Running back Arian Foster is in the final year of a deal that he signed when he was brought up from the Texans' practice squad in 2009; Foster will more than likely receive a relatively lucrative contract extension during the 2010 season.

- While the Texans' offense receives all the notoriety, it's on the defensive side of the ball where the organization has committed the most guaranteed money; primarily as a result of top ten picks Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye, while linebacker DeMeco Ryans received a 2nd contract that made him one of the highest paid inside linebackers in the game.

- The Texans have a lot of young talent, and while Ryans has been taken care via a contract extension, the club could not agree to a long-term commitment with cornerback Dunta Robinson who left via free agency to become one of the highest paid corners in the game.  Tight end Owen Daniels looks to return to pre-ACL tear form, as he looks to possibly become one of the highest paid tight ends in the game.  2007 7th round pick Zac Diles is in the final year of his rookie contract, and with a 12 tackle week one performance, could be working towards a contract extension.

- Defensive end Mario Williams has 2010 & 2011 left on his deal; in leveraging the uncapped year, it would not be a surprise for the Texans to look to do an extension this season with Williams, making him one of the highest paid defenders in the game.

- For consecutive weeks, the $36M left tackle Trent Williams faces another elite & lucratively paid defensive end in $26.5M defensive end Mario Williams

REDSKINS		TEXANS
Offense		Defense
Trenches + QB	$54,650,000	$74,259,415	Front 7
Skill	$33,325,500	$16,200,250	Back 4
Total	$87,975,500	$90,459,665	Total
Defense		Offense
Front 7	$31,900,000	$34,169,250	Trenches + QB
Back 4	$39,000,000	$18,000,000	Skill
Total	$70,900,000	$52,169,250	Total
Special Teams		Special Teams
Total	$0	$750,000	Total
Team Total	$158,875,500	$143,378,915	Team Total