Falcons pursuing trade of Vick ....

February 15, 2009

Falcons pursuing trade of Vick

Dimitroff confirms decision on QB, who is expected to be released from prison in July

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Falcons are actively seeking to trade Michael Vick.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team is preparing to trade the rights to the imprisoned and suspended quarterback, according to the team’s Web site.

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Michael Vick was the Falcons’ starting QB from 2002-2006.

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“With regards to Michael Vick, we’ve decided to seek a trade of his contractual rights to another NFL club,” Dimitroff said. “We took a number of steps in the 2008 season, including using our first pick to draft a quarterback. We feel a trade is the best move for the Falcons, and it’s also in the best interest of Michael. This has been a really unique situation from a variety of standpoints, and because we will actively be involved in a trade situation, I don’t envision our organization speaking any more about this subject publicly until it’s reached a resolution.”

The Falcons refused to make Dimitroff available Friday, and calls to him were not returned. When reached by the Journal-Constitution, Vick’s agent Joel Segal refused comment.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank has said that Vick was not part of the team’s future. However, Dimitroff’s comments were the first indication that the Falcons were actively seeking to trade Vick.

Vick, who is in federal prison on felony charges related to dogfighting, is scheduled to be released in July. He also has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. The league has refused to address his situation until his release. Dimitroff said on the Web site that he had not heard from the NFL about a timeline for Vick’s reinstatement.

Former Falcons and Virginia Tech teammate Keion Carpenter recently visited Vick in prison.

“That’s not even his main concern,” Carpenter said. “He wants to get his life back on track and get back to his family. Football is on his radar, but only after he gets his life back in order. Once he does that, the football will fall into place.”

The Falcons must attempt to trade Vick because if they release him his contract would place a heavy burden on their salary cap. Vick has a lucrative contract that runs until 2013. It calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009. The remainder of the contract is worth $45.11 million, with another possible $3 million in Pro Bowl bonuses. A portion of Vick’s signing bonus will count against the salary cap if he is traded or released.

“I believe in second chances, oftentimes third chances,” Blank told the AJC in November. “I think that after some period of time, Michael would have paid his debt to society. … Obviously, he’s paid a huge price professionally and personally in terms of his family and in terms of his own financial situation. I think at some point, I’d like to see him play again in the National Football League.”

One question the Falcons will have to address is whether to trade Vick within the division. Carolina and Tampa Bay are among several teams that could be in the market for a quarterback. Other candidates include Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, the New York Jets, San Francisco and Chicago. Also, former Falcons head coach Jim Mora, who went to the NFC championship game with Vick, is head coach in Seattle. Greg Knapp, the former offensive coordinator for the Falcons when Vick was the starting quarterback, is on Mora’s staff.

In November, The Associated Press contacted the other 31 teams about acquiring Vick. Most refused comment, citing league tampering rules. However, six teams said they would not shut the door on acquiring Vick.

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