Assuming the Eagles trade quarterback Donovan McNabb — and their silence in the face of rampant rumors suggests they eventually will — he has more than a few potential new homes. Though only a handful have been mentioned, the Eagles reportedly are talking to teams that want their interest not to be disclosed, given they already have guys on the roster who think they’ll be the starting quarterback in their current cities when the 2010 season commences.
There’s a long list of possible destinations for Donovan McNabb.
So let’s take a look at where McNabb might land, if/when he indeed is traded.
Buffalo
The Bills have a trio of second-tier quarterbacks, and they are one of only two teams who have been linked to McNabb that have not denied it.
Some think that owner Ralph Wilson won’t pay McNabb’s eight-figure salary for 2011 or give him an extension that might approach nine figures. But if the Bills are serious about becoming a contender in this quarterback’s league, they need an elite quarterback.
The bonus for the rest of us? One game per year in Miami. Which is located in Florida. Which is the state where Donovan has a habit of losing his lunch during games.
Cleveland
Sure, the Browns have guaranteed $7 million to quarterback Jake Delhomme in 2010. But what’s $7 million to a franchise that has been handing out buyouts like comedy show fliers in Times Square?
McNabb would instantly make a franchise nudging toward legitimacy fully and completely legitimate, thrusting them into contention in the highly-competitive AFC North.
Thus, if he Browns are serious about improving, they need to be serious about getting McNabb — even if they already have Delhomme.
Pittsburgh
Though it’s still way too early in the Ben Roethlisberger case to justify serious considerations of trading for McNabb, the Steelers need to be considering their alternatives — and McNabb could be the best one available.
It’s highly unlikely that the Steelers would pursue McNabb absent the filing of charges against Roethlisberger. If, however, Ben does a perp walk before McNabb is moved, the Steelers need to run to the phones and see what it would take to get him.
Jacksonville
Coach Jack Del Rio has suggested that David Garrard isn’t an elite quarterback. McNabb clearly is.
Amid the fading chatter of the Jaguars taking a chance on Tim Tebow, the fact remains that they need short-term help in the hopes of securing long-term future in Jacksonville.
So why not McNabb? If the Jaguars are serious about getting better, McNabb gives them their best shot.
Denver
Why should the Broncos be pursuing McNabb? We can think of two reasons.
Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn.
Though it would make the team better, trading for a franchise quarterback a year after trading one away would look a little odd, but if they can get McNabb for far less than the two first-round picks that the Bears coughed up for Jay Cutler, the Broncos could hold their heads high, for a change.
Oakland
The mere fact that the Raiders have been linked to McNabb and haven’t had John Herrera issue a statement applying "false rumor monger" to anyone who has reported on this possibility is all the proof we need that they’ve concluded that their investment in JaMarcus Russell was a major blunder.
Getting McNabb could help get them out of their mess. The team has talent; it just needs a leader on the offensive side of the ball. McNabb would be that leader — and he could help turn around a team that has struggled since 2002, a season in which both the Raiders and McNabb’s Eagles fell to the eventual champs from Tampa.
Washington
The Redskins need a long-term answer at quarterback, but the Eagles aren’t likely to hand McNabb to a division rival.
That said, the Eagles haven’t been bashful about doing deals with division foes. Indeed, they moved out of round one in 2007 and used a pick at the top of round two to get Kevin Kolb in a deal with Dallas.
Still, it’s one thing to swap picks with the Cowboys; it’s quite another to hand a franchise quarterback over to an archrival, especially when said franchise quarterback knows the ins and outs of his former franchise.
Minnesota
The Vikings would likely prefer that McNabb stay put for one more year. Then, they can sign him after Favre makes one last run at a walk-off Super Bowl win.
But if the market for McNabb is softer than previously believed, the Vikings would be wise to at least explore the possibility of securing a quarterback who would help the team for multiple years beyond 2010.
The fact that McNabb and Brad Childress have an extensive history in Philly could make Childress take a little more seriously the possibility of McNabb being the 2010 version of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay — and Favre being the 2010 version of, well, Brett Favre.
Carolina
The Panthers have jettisoned Delhomme, and they’ve made Matt Moore the starter.
Who?
Exactly.
The problem is that a lame-duck coach and a lame-duck GM. likely can’t get ownership’s approval to make a deal for a quarterback the next regime might want.
Arizona
The Cardinals say they’re not interested in McNabb. Well, they should be.
With McNabb, they’d remain contenders in a watered-down NFC West. Without him, they’ll struggle to tread water — and they’ll end up wishing they had made the move. Especially if he ends up with another team in the division.
St. Louis
The Rams had been linked to Eagles quarterback Mike Vick. Rumors that they might make a play for another Eagles quarterback heated up last week, only to be shot down by the powers-that-be.
The Rams apparently not wanting McNabb makes it more clear that they’ll find their quarterback in the draft, presumably at the top.
While that likely will make Sam Bradford happy, it provides the Eagles with one less viable suitor for McNabb’s services.
San Francisco The 49ers have been trying to prop up and dust off the first pick in the 2005 draft, and they’ll continue that effort in 2010, as Alex Smith returns as the starter.
Though Smith hasn’t been terrible, McNabb could help push the team to the top of the division. Presumably, the 49ers hope to return to the top of the division.
If they did, they’d send one of their first-round picks to Philly for the guy who instantly would be their best quarterback since Steve Young.
Seattle
The Seahawks have been flirting with making a big splash in the 2010 offseason, but they have consistently stopped short of pulling the trigger.
McNabb would allow them to shake up the division.
The Seahawks could also give Philly something no one else can — a backup quarterback who is schooled in the West Coast offense. Then again, the Eagles could balk at Matt Hasselbeck as part of the offer, given that Hasselbeck could be cut, which would give the Eagles a free and clear shot at him.
Either way, getting McNabb would be precisely the kind of splash that the Seahawks are looking to make.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
Assuming the Eagles trade quarterback Donovan McNabb — and their silence in the face of rampant rumors suggests they eventually will — he has more than a few potential new homes. Though only a handful have been mentioned, the Eagles reportedly are talking to teams that want their interest not to be disclosed, given they already have guys on the roster who think they’ll be the starting quarterback in their current cities when the 2010 season commences.
There’s a long list of possible destinations for Donovan McNabb.
So let’s take a look at where McNabb might land, if/when he indeed is traded.
Buffalo
The Bills have a trio of second-tier quarterbacks, and they are one of only two teams who have been linked to McNabb that have not denied it.
Some think that owner Ralph Wilson won’t pay McNabb’s eight-figure salary for 2011 or give him an extension that might approach nine figures. But if the Bills are serious about becoming a contender in this quarterback’s league, they need an elite quarterback.
The bonus for the rest of us? One game per year in Miami. Which is located in Florida. Which is the state where Donovan has a habit of losing his lunch during games.
Cleveland
Sure, the Browns have guaranteed $7 million to quarterback Jake Delhomme in 2010. But what’s $7 million to a franchise that has been handing out buyouts like comedy show fliers in Times Square?
McNabb would instantly make a franchise nudging toward legitimacy fully and completely legitimate, thrusting them into contention in the highly-competitive AFC North.
Thus, if he Browns are serious about improving, they need to be serious about getting McNabb — even if they already have Delhomme.
Pittsburgh
Though it’s still way too early in the Ben Roethlisberger case to justify serious considerations of trading for McNabb, the Steelers need to be considering their alternatives — and McNabb could be the best one available.
It’s highly unlikely that the Steelers would pursue McNabb absent the filing of charges against Roethlisberger. If, however, Ben does a perp walk before McNabb is moved, the Steelers need to run to the phones and see what it would take to get him.
Jacksonville
Coach Jack Del Rio has suggested that David Garrard isn’t an elite quarterback. McNabb clearly is.
Amid the fading chatter of the Jaguars taking a chance on Tim Tebow, the fact remains that they need short-term help in the hopes of securing long-term future in Jacksonville.
So why not McNabb? If the Jaguars are serious about getting better, McNabb gives them their best shot.
Denver
Why should the Broncos be pursuing McNabb? We can think of two reasons.
Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn.
Though it would make the team better, trading for a franchise quarterback a year after trading one away would look a little odd, but if they can get McNabb for far less than the two first-round picks that the Bears coughed up for Jay Cutler, the Broncos could hold their heads high, for a change.
Oakland
The mere fact that the Raiders have been linked to McNabb and haven’t had John Herrera issue a statement applying "false rumor monger" to anyone who has reported on this possibility is all the proof we need that they’ve concluded that their investment in JaMarcus Russell was a major blunder.
Getting McNabb could help get them out of their mess. The team has talent; it just needs a leader on the offensive side of the ball. McNabb would be that leader — and he could help turn around a team that has struggled since 2002, a season in which both the Raiders and McNabb’s Eagles fell to the eventual champs from Tampa.
Washington
The Redskins need a long-term answer at quarterback, but the Eagles aren’t likely to hand McNabb to a division rival.
That said, the Eagles haven’t been bashful about doing deals with division foes. Indeed, they moved out of round one in 2007 and used a pick at the top of round two to get Kevin Kolb in a deal with Dallas.
Still, it’s one thing to swap picks with the Cowboys; it’s quite another to hand a franchise quarterback over to an archrival, especially when said franchise quarterback knows the ins and outs of his former franchise.
Minnesota
The Vikings would likely prefer that McNabb stay put for one more year. Then, they can sign him after Favre makes one last run at a walk-off Super Bowl win.
But if the market for McNabb is softer than previously believed, the Vikings would be wise to at least explore the possibility of securing a quarterback who would help the team for multiple years beyond 2010.
The fact that McNabb and Brad Childress have an extensive history in Philly could make Childress take a little more seriously the possibility of McNabb being the 2010 version of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay — and Favre being the 2010 version of, well, Brett Favre.
Carolina
The Panthers have jettisoned Delhomme, and they’ve made Matt Moore the starter.
Who?
Exactly.
The problem is that a lame-duck coach and a lame-duck GM. likely can’t get ownership’s approval to make a deal for a quarterback the next regime might want.
Arizona
The Cardinals say they’re not interested in McNabb. Well, they should be.
With McNabb, they’d remain contenders in a watered-down NFC West. Without him, they’ll struggle to tread water — and they’ll end up wishing they had made the move. Especially if he ends up with another team in the division.
St. Louis
The Rams had been linked to Eagles quarterback Mike Vick. Rumors that they might make a play for another Eagles quarterback heated up last week, only to be shot down by the powers-that-be.
The Rams apparently not wanting McNabb makes it more clear that they’ll find their quarterback in the draft, presumably at the top.
While that likely will make Sam Bradford happy, it provides the Eagles with one less viable suitor for McNabb’s services.
San Francisco The 49ers have been trying to prop up and dust off the first pick in the 2005 draft, and they’ll continue that effort in 2010, as Alex Smith returns as the starter.
Though Smith hasn’t been terrible, McNabb could help push the team to the top of the division. Presumably, the 49ers hope to return to the top of the division.
If they did, they’d send one of their first-round picks to Philly for the guy who instantly would be their best quarterback since Steve Young.
Seattle
The Seahawks have been flirting with making a big splash in the 2010 offseason, but they have consistently stopped short of pulling the trigger.
McNabb would allow them to shake up the division.
The Seahawks could also give Philly something no one else can — a backup quarterback who is schooled in the West Coast offense. Then again, the Eagles could balk at Matt Hasselbeck as part of the offer, given that Hasselbeck could be cut, which would give the Eagles a free and clear shot at him.
Either way, getting McNabb would be precisely the kind of splash that the Seahawks are looking to make.
Mike Florio writes and edits ProFootballTalk.com and is a regular contributor to Sporting News. Check out PFT for up-to-the minute NFL news.
