Chip Calls an Audible: New Deal for Vick

A couple hours before the first Chip Kelly press availability since the Senior Bowl, the Eagles made a surprise announcement: they've agreed with Michael Vick on a restructured contract, which reports indicate will be for about $10 million over one year.

What does this mean? Well, it means nothing good for Nick Foles, first of all. Vick has said he is not amenable to staying here as a backup. The Chipper, after reviewing 2012 film, must think a 33-year-old Vick is a better option for his offense than Foles, the bigger, slower-footed 2012 rookie. He must also think he isn't getting his longterm franchise QB out of the 2013 draft. So he's going to try to buy a year with Vick, see how it goes, and if disaster ensues, as it did for Andy Reid the past two seasons with Vick, then there's the 2014 draft and a more promising quarterback crop.

If you're a Vick fan, this validates your view that a terrible offensive line was the QB's main problem last season. If you're a Vick basher, it's easy to see how you might want to grind your teeth to dust, watching Kelly have to repeat Reid's mistakes instead of learning from them.

Kelly obviously will get quite a few questions on this matter at his 1:30 press conference. Among them will be how a two-turnover-a-game quarterback who hasn't played a full, 16-game season since 2006 is going to represent a step forward in rebuilding.

Of course, this contract doesn't mean Vick absolutely is the Eagles' 2013 starter, and I'm sure that will be emphasized today. But the odds just went from near nothing to overwhelmingly in Vick's favor. It's fair to say this is not the clean, fresh start a lot of fans were envisioning.