Even before everything hit the fan for Michael Vick nearly a decade ago, few expected the athletic quarterback to be very effective by the time he reached the age of 36. And so if you were to go back in time to Atlanta circa 2005 and tell somebody that Vick would be unemployed in 2016, they probably wouldn’t have been shocked.
And yet despite everything he’s been through over the last decade, Vick isn’t ready to give it up.
“I haven’t officially retired,” Vick told NJ.com on Monday, per CBSSports.com. “As of right now, it’s pretty much at a stalemate type of thing. Just taking the days as it comes, but most importantly for me, I just have to continue to work out and train. I would love to play this year, suit up for another run at it. I still feel like I could play and there is a lot left in the tank.”
The problem, of course, is that right now nobody wants the soon-to-be-36-year-old, and the reality is he’s not even the hottest name on the free-agent quarterback list. Ryan Fitzpatrick remains available, as do Tarvaris Jackson and Josh Freeman.
So is Vick done despite completing more than 60 percent of his passes while starting three games during a one-year stint as Ben Roethlisberger’s backup in Pittsburgh? It’s possible, but injuries will happen and it does seem as though time has sort of repaired his reputation throughout the league. Sure, some front offices won’t touch him with a 10-foot pole, but the guy is an experienced veteran who can hold down the fort. And yes, he can still run.
Despite playing prominently in only three games last season, Vick still had five runs of 10-plus yards while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. And there was of course this clutch 24-yarder late in a comeback victory over San Diego:
He can’t move like he did 10 years ago, but he can still scramble as well as any quarterback in this league. And if a few pivots get hurt this summer, that might be enough for Vick to get one last shot as a backup somewhere.
