Peter King of SI.com fully expects NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Michael Vick for at least a year after he’s released from prison.
6. I think I wouldn’t touch Pacman Jones. But I might be interested in Michael Vick. Keep this in mind: Even if Vick’s free in mid-July, as he might be, I fully expect Vick to be hit with a suspension from the league of as long as a year. I don’t believe he’d be available to play until at least opening day 2010. At that time, it will have been 44 months since he played a football game. Vick will be 30. If I had a moderate need at quarterback, and I knew Vick would be amenable to play different positions, and I knew Vick was in pretty good condition, I’d make a conditional-pick deal for him — say, a fifth-round pick that could rise to a second- with the right incentives. Vick certainly had a dark side, and he was a liar. But I’m not sure he’s a lost cause. He’s been humbled, been stripped to the core, and he might be ready for a last chance at redemption. If not, a fifth-round pick was worth the risk. We’re a country of second chances.
The only problem with giving up even a fifth round pick for Vick is that that team would then take on the rest of his salary, which is an insurmountable amount of money for a player fresh out of prison. Obviously a team can work with Vick’s agent to restructure his contract (and they’d have to), but that seems like more of hassle then it’s worth. Why not just wait for the Falcons to release him?
