Michael Vick Admits NFL Career Is Likely Over
Quarterback Michael Vick hasn’t played a snap since the 2015 season, and he’s aware that his NFL career is likely finished, as Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated writes in a detailed interview with the controversial signal-caller.
“Yeah, I think it’s it,” said Vick, responding to whether his career is over. “I’m kind of looking at life from a different perspective now. I’ve got kids growing that I’ve got to be there for. I was committed in 2016 to giving it one more shot. I’m very content with my career and what I’ve been able to accomplish. I accomplished more than I ever thought I would. Listen, at the end of the day, through all the downs I played, I can say I won a game for every team that I played for, even though I only made three starts in New York and three starts in Pittsburgh. I made a difference, I’m content with my career and I’m ready to move forward in life.”
As Vick notes, he had previously maintained that he was interested in continuing his career during the 2016 campaign, but although he reportedly received bits of interest from NFL clubs, no deal ever materialized. Given that Vick intimated that his playing days would not extend past 2016, his announcement that his time in the NFL is over doesn’t come as a major surprise.
If this is the end, Vick will have concluded one of the more complicated NFL careers in recent memory. Selected first overall by the Falcons in the 2001 draft, Vick quickly revolutionized the quarterback position, becoming a dual-threat weapon capable of making plays with both his arm and his legs. Though his passing acumen was sometimes suspect (he never topped a 60% completion percentage during his time in Atlanta), Vick was a weapon on the ground, and in 2006 became the first quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards. Vick ranks first among quarterbacks with 6,109 career rushing yards, leading second-place Randall Cunningham by more than 1,100 yards in that regard.
Of course, Vick’s career came crashing down in 2007, when he plead guilty to dog-fighting charges and was indefinitely suspended by the NFL. Facing both federal and state charges, Vick ultimately served less than two years in prison, and was released in July 2009. Though Vick has rehabilitated his image in some corners, and has even become an animal rights advocate, his legacy will likely always be tarnished by his involvement in that gruesome ordeal.
After being released from incarceration, Vick latched on with the Eagles in 2009 (despite much public outcry), and the following year posted perhaps the best season of his career, passing for more than 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns against only six interceptions, adding another 676 yards and 10 scores via the ground game. Philadelphia lost in the Wild Card round in 2011, a game that marked the final postseason appearance of Vick’s career. After a few more middling and injury-marred seasons with the Eagles, Vick finished out his time in the NFL as a reserve for the Jets and Steelers in 2014 and 2015, respectively, managing six starts during those two campaigns.
Steelers "Definitely Open" To Re-Signing James Harrison
The oldest defensive player in the NFL, linebacker James Harrison, is reportedly planning to return for his age-39 season in 2017, and the Steelers are interested in bringing back the pending free agent. “Obviously, we need to have a contract. But I think we’re definitely open to it,” team president Art Rooney II told Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Tuesday. “And, from what I understand, at least he’s open to it.” Despite his advanced age, Harrison led the Steelers in sacks (five) in his 14th NFL season and became the franchise’s all-time leader in that category (79.5).
Regardless of whether Harrison’s career continues with the Steelers, they’ll prioritize upgrading their pass rush this offseason, Rooney indicated. “That’s a piece of the puzzle that I think we can identify we want to improve on,” said Rooney, whose club finished ninth in sacks and 15th in quarterback hurries in 2016.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/31/17
Tuesday’s minor moves:
Reserve/Futures Contracts
Baltimore Ravens
- DB Otha Foster
- LB Boseko Lokombo
Dallas Cowboys
- WR Quincy McDuffie
- WR Uzoma Nwachukwu
ERFA Re-Signing
Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Fitzgerald Toussaint (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com)
Steelers Expect Ben Roethlisberger To Return
Although quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hinted last week that he may have thrown his last NFL pass, Steelers president Art Rooney II expects the five-time Pro Bowler to return in 2017.
“I talked to Ben and we had a good conversation,” Rooney told reporters, including Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, on Tuesday. “I think he’s at that stage in his career that those are thought I think you have. I personally expect that he’ll be back, but that’s going to be his decision.”
With the offseason approaching, the Steelers unsurprisingly want an answer from the 34-year-old Roethlisberger sooner than later, per Rooney, who noted that “if he decided to retire, that would modify our plans greatly.” Even if Roethlisberger comes back for a 14th year, the Steelers seem intent on drafting a quarterback – something they haven’t done since they selected pending free agent Landry Jones in the fourth round in 2013.
“In terms of just going forward, look, I think the quarterback position is a position you have to make sure you have some depth there, and we haven’t drafted a quarterback for several years, and we’re probably due to look at the position,” stated Rooney.
Pittsburgh is slated to pick seven times – including 30th overall – in this year’s draft, which might feature one of the worst quarterback classes in recent memory. But regardless of who lines up under center for the Steelers in the coming years, he’ll likely have superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown in the fold as his No. 1 target. While Brown has caused some issues behind the scenes, the four-time 100-catch man is “certainly a player that we would like to have on the team for a while,” per Rooney. Brown is scheduled to enter a contract year, but the Steelers could make him the league’s highest-paid wideout via an extension sometime this offseason.
Opinion: Steelers Should Draft QB
- The Steelers should draft a quarterback this year, Paul Ziese of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. To many, this year’s crop of quarterbacks is not an inspiring one, but Zeise likes DeShaun Watson or DeShone Kizer enough to advocate for their selection at No. 30, if they’re there. Roethlisberger still stands as one of the league’s best QBs, but he turns 35 in March and the team may want to think about grooming his next replacement. By the same token, I would be surprised if they use their first-round pick to take a signal caller.
Martavis Bryant To Apply For Reinstatement
Suspended Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant has officially applied for reinstatement to the NFL, reports Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). It was reported in mid-January that the embattled wideout would apply for reinstatement “in the near future.” Bryant won’t be eligible to return until March, one year after the NFL suspended him for violating its substance abuse policy.
Although Bryant’s Steelers made it all the way to the AFC title game, the 2016 campaign will go down as a lost season for the 25-year-old. Bryant is serving his second suspension since he entered the pros in 2014.
Previously, Bryant sat four games in 2015 for multiple substance abuse violations. Marijuana usage was at the root of the penalty then, but Bryant’s current suspension came as a result of multiple missed drug tests. Bryant elected against appealing the ban, as he deemed it an “unwinnable” situation, and decided to enter rehab for depression issues.
If Bryant’s off-field troubles are behind him and he does come back next season, his presence could be a boon to an already high-octane Steeler attack. However, there’s no guarantee the franchise would welcome him back.
“We are very disappointed that Martavis Bryant has put himself in this current situation of being suspended by the League,” the Steelers said in a statement last March. He is at a crossroads of his professional life, and he needs to understand significant changes need to occur in his personal life if he wants to regain his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. We are hopeful that Martavis will take the necessary steps to develop the discipline in his personal life to become a successful player and a good teammate.”
When on the field, Bryant has been a major threat. The ex-Clemson Tiger caught 50 passes for 765 yards and eight touchdowns in just 11 games last season. That came after he hauled in eight scores and averaged a whopping 21.1 yards per catch in 10 games as a rookie. All told, the 6-foot-4, 211-pounder has amassed 76 receptions, 14 scores and posted a 17.3 YPC in 21 games. Should he don a Pittsburgh uniform in 2017, he’d join an Antonio Brown-led receiving corps that also includes Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates.
Steelers To Re-Sign Jordan Dangerfield
- Steelers safety Jordan Dangerfield, an exclusive rights free agent, has agreed to sign his $540K tender for 2017, according to Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He’s the third in-house player this week the Steelers have secured for next season, joining wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and fullback Roosevelt Nix. The 26-year-old Dangerfield went undrafted in 2013, but it took him until 2016 to see any NFL action. In his 13-game campaign, Dangerfield started twice and took part in 51.1 percent of the Steelers’ special teams snaps.
NFL Investigating Steelers Over Injury Reports
The NFL is “looking into” whether the Steelers violated its policy in not listing running back Le’Veon Bell on their injury reports in recent weeks, including before last Sunday’s AFC championship game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Bell departed the title game early because of a groin injury, and he then revealed after the Steelers’ 36-17 loss to New England that it had had been a problem for weeks. At no point did the Steelers disclose the ailment, though, which is why the league is investigating the matter.
Sherman, meanwhile, believes “it would be odd, out of the norm” for the Seahawks to receive punishment, and he doesn’t expect the league to discipline the Steelers. “Le’Veon said he’s got a groin (issue) for weeks, they’re going to get a warning,” he told Conor Orr of NFL.com. “Andrew (Luck) played with cracked ribs for a whole year (back in 2015). You see what I’m saying?”
Steelers To Re-Sign Cobi Hamilton
As injuries and suspensions affected the Steelers’ pass-catching contingent this season, they became more reliant on lesser-known commodities. They will bring back one of them after agreeing to a one-year deal with wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The sides came to an agreement earlier this week.
Hamilton resided as an exclusive rights free agent entering the Steelers’ offseason, and this deal is the second Pittsburgh signing today. The team signed ERFA Roosevelt Nix as well.
A former sixth-round Bengals pick in 2013, Hamilton did not record a reception from 2013-15 and spent the first half of this season on the Steelers’ practice squad. But the team promoted him and saw the 26-year-old target start eight games, catch 17 passes for 234 yards and score two touchdowns during the regular season. He and UDFA Eli Rogers became the Steelers’ top auxiliary receivers after the suspension of Martavis Bryant and injuries to Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates. Hamilton caught Ben Roethlisberger‘s only touchdown pass in the AFC championship game on what became a rough day for Pittsburgh’s passing attack.
Wheaton is a UFA and Bryant has an uncertain road back to reinstatement, so Hamilton could again compete for a spot as a relevant cog in Todd Haley‘s offense.
Steelers Could Move On From Ladarius Green
- The Steelers could determine another year with Ladarius Green is too risky, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes. Green will enter his sixth season after experiencing a disastrous fifth, playing in just six games. However, he averaged 50.7 yards per game and made several big plays when healthy. But concussion issues dogged Green to the point Mike Tomlin said a decision needs to be made about the tight end. “I don’t have an assessment, long-term, of where he is,” Tomlin said. “I think that’s one of the chief medical decisions and questions that we have to have moving forward, in terms of guys getting an assessment of their overall health and what it means for 2017.” A Green cut will cost the Steelers $3.56MM in dead money while saving the team barely $2MM. Green said earlier this week he does not intend to retire.
- Antonio Brown‘s constant desire for targets has rubbed many teammates the wrong way, but his occasionally selfish ways aren’t viewed as detrimental to the team, Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette writes. Ben Roethlisberger has told the All-Pro wideout to “shut up” multiple times on the field, and since-retired tight end Heath Miller told Brown to “stop complaining about not getting the ball” at a 2015 practice. However, Dulac notes Brown not a problem in the locker room. This could be a key point as Brown’s payday looms.