Inside The Bills

Eagles say McNabb, Kolb not available

The posturing continues. Though Philadelphia has reportedly been taking inquiries from other NFL clubs that are expressing interest in their stable of quarterbacks, according to ESPN the Eagles are telling other clubs don’t bother.

ESPN’s Sal Palaontonio is reporting that the Eagles are telling other NFL teams that Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb are not available.

That could very well be the case now, but it doesn’t mean it won’t change in the future. Of course Philadelphia could very well keep McNabb and Kolb and move Vick, thereby protecting their present and future. The talk is that it would take at least a first-round pick for another team to acquire McNabb.

Broncos not after McNabb

Despite an ESPN report to the contrary that the Broncos were one of three teams that has been in contact with the Eagles to inquire about Donovan McNabb, the Denver brass has refuted that report.

Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post quoted unnamed Broncos officials as saying there is “no truth” to the reports that the Broncos are interested in making a play for McNabb.

The Posts cites the fact that the Broncos do not employ a west coast offensive system as a deterrent in pursuing McNabb among other factors, and states that it would take a fat offer for Philadelphia to part with the veteran signal caller.

When decision on McNabb will be made

As is usually the case most big NFL personnel decisions are prompted by money. Such is the case with both Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb as the Eagles are likely to dominate offseason headlines until they make a definitive quarterback decision. Vick’s $2.5M bonus owed him on March 9th isn’t as cost prohibitive as McNabb’s, making the deadline to determine his future much clearer.

As the Delaware County Times points out, McNabb is due a $6.2M bonus in early May if he’s still on the roster. If they have any remote thoughts of moving him, there’s no way the Eagles wait until after the pay date to make the call, even without a salary cap.

Paying Vick’s bonus to keep him under contract would indicate a desire for the Eagles to get something in return for him instead of letting him go free. But with McNabb it’s a clear fish or cut bait with that kind of bonus number.

Odds are the decision will be made before then, perhaps during the draft (April 22-24) if they want to move him.

Report: 3 teams talk to Eagles

According to the Philadelphia Daily News and multiple ESPN reports, there have been three NFL teams that have already made it known to the Philadelphia Eagles that if they’re looking to move a QB, they would be interested.

According to ESPN’s Sal Palaontonio is reporting that the Browns, Broncos and Bills have all had multiple conversations with the Eagles about Donovan McNabb.

The point the Philadelphia Daily News makes very clear is that nothing is close to happening. All of these discussions are preliminary in nature, with the NFL teams reportedly in contact with the Eagles simply informing Philadelphia that if they’re going to in fact move a QB off their roster via trade, to make sure and call them (Buf, Clev, Den).

The Bills and Browns have ties to the Eagles organization. Cleveland obviously has Mike Holmgren, who had Andy Reid as an assistant on his Green Bay staff, and Tom Heckert, now GM of the Browns, just left the Eagles where he was VP of Personnel.

Buffalo’s tie to the Eagles is VP of College Scouting Tom Modrak. Modrak was the team’s Director of Football Operations and was the person who drafted McNabb in 1999 when the entire city of Philadelphia wanted Ricky Williams.

Eagles still deciding on QBs

Eagles head coach Andy Reid has stated twice since the season ended that Donovan McNabb is still his starting QB. Philly fans are not convinced.

The Philadelphia Daily News quoted Eagles team president Joe Banner as saying the following with respect to their starting QB for 2010.

“We really haven’t had a meeting to figure this stuff out yet,” Banner said. “Obviously, we have to make a decision at some point. But at this moment, I can tell you we have not laid out a plan or sat down and exchanged different ideas.

“We do have to make a decision on [the quarterback situation]. The decision could be anything from the status quo to some change. I think Andy’s comment speaks very clearly to where we’re at as it relates to Donovan. There’s no point in me trying to elaborate on it.”

McNabb, Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb all have one year left on their contracts. According to the Daily News Vick has been told by the team that he will be traded this offseason knowing he wants to be a starter in the league again.

If Vick is in fact traded it would increase the likelihood of McNabb starting again for Philly in 2010 with Kolb still on board as well.

Reid: McNabb the starter in 2010

With speculation swirling that any one of the Eagles’ three quarterbacks could be traded in the offseason, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid did his best to squash thoughts of Donovan McNabb being the one to go.

Reid stated that it will be his decision as to whether McNabb returns in 2010 and he said McNabb is his starting quarterback.

That however, could change based on what another NFL team might offer for the 11-year vet. Of course the Eagles might be more willing to move Michael Vick and perhaps even Kevin Kolb after some impressive performances in spot duty this past season.

And there’s no reason to think the Bills would not be interested along with a host of other NFL teams seeking QB help like the Rams and Browns.

Philly moving a QB?

It’s the main subject of sports talk radio in Philadelphia. With the Eagles season over after a humbling loss to Dallas, there is major speculation that the Eagles might not have both Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb on their roster next season.

Already fueling the speculation is the Philadelphia Inquirer report that assesses the situation, pointing out that the Eagles desperately need to fortify their defense and might need a proven answer at tailback should Brian Westbrook not be brought back. That could prompt the Eagles into trading either McNabb if the organization decides to start fresh or Kolb, if they believe their team is still a title contender.

Both McNabb and Kolb have a year remaining on their contracts. Eagles head coach Andy Reid did answer in the affirmative when asked after the loss to the Cowboys if he thought McNabb would be back in 2010.

Truthfully the Eagles overachieved this season, with all the injuries they suffered on the offensive line and on defense, particularly at LB. So it’s not unrealistic for them to think they could make a run at it in 2010 if everyone comes back healthy. Of course the Eagles have been a forward thinking organization often locking up young players long term sooner rather than later. Perhaps they do decide to turn the page and move McNabb. 

Either way you’ve got to believe that the Bills wouldn’t mind having either one of those signal callers, and Buffalo and Philly have been trade partners in the recent past (e.g. Jason Peters, Takeo Spikes, Kelly Holcomb). But those kinds of decisions for the Bills likely won’t be made until Buffalo hires a new head coach.

An even greater problem might be the competition for one of Philadelphia’s QBs in the trade market. The Rams desperately need quarterback help and their offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur used to work for the Eagles. There also will be a Philly connection in Cleveland where Eagles front office man Tom Heckert is expected to take the GM job. The Browns also need a QB.

The NFL trade moratorium is usually lifted right when free agency begins, which this offseason is March 5.