NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, March 21, 2014, 7:27 PM
The Jets tweet out a picture of Michael Vick signing his contract, which is for one year, according to a source.
The Jets re-shuffled their quarterback depth chart by signing four-time Pro Bowler Michael Vick Friday night. Minutes after Mark Sanchez was officially released, the team announced that Vick would take fill the void.
Vick, who spent the past five seasons with the Eagles, inked a one-year, $ 5 million deal, according to a source. He is expected to mentor Geno Smith and give the Jets a viable option in case their young starter struggles.
“He’s here in a role where he’s going to compete and push Geno Smith to become the very best that he can be,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said in a statement.
Vick, who visited the Jets’ facility in Florham Park on Friday before signing on the dotted line, will be reunited with Mornhinweg after four years together in Philadelphia. Vick’s experience and familiarity with Mornhinweg’s West Coast Offense made me the ideal fit for a team that lacked a viable backup option last season.
General manager John Idzik intimated Thursday during a conference call that Mornhinweg’s experience with Vick was a valuable resource.
“Whenever you have inside knowledge on a player,” Idzik said. “With a coach that worked with him… some member of your staff had been around that player for a while, that is a tremendous advantage. There is less projection. Especially if you’re dealing with a position that entails a lot.”
“And of course the quarterback position, there’s intangibles that come into play,” Idzik continued.
“There’s leadership, how he manages the locker room, how he manages the media, how he manages the team. There’s a lot that goes with that. Anytime you have somebody that has witnessed how that player has handled himself in various situations, definitely we’re are going to lean on that. I think that enables you to make a wiser decision.”
Vick, who will turn 34 this summer, may no longer be the game-changing player that he used to be, but he provides a dimension was lacking last season for Rex Ryan’s team. Although his production dipped in the past two seasons, he still can be productive if needed.
Vick threw for 57 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in five seasons with the Eagles. He lost his starting job to Nick Foles last year after a hamstring injury in Week 5, but remained a good soldier.
“He would be a good mentor to Geno,” said one NFC personnel executive told the Daily News recently. “He could teach him how to deal with all of the pressures of being ‘the guy.’ Guys in the league respect him.”
Vick was a human highlight reel for the Falcons for six seasons before his role in a dogfighting scandal ended his tenure in Atlanta and put him behind bars for 18 months. He resurrected his career in Philadelphia and won the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010.
Vick, who has a 56.2 career completion rate, resurrected his career in Philadelphia after his role in a dogfighting scandal landed him behind bars for 18 months.
Vick had some ball security issues recently. He had 15 fumbles (seven lost) in his last 17 games with the Eagles in the past two years. There have always been durability concerns with Vick, who has only played in 16 games once in his 11-year career, but his role as a veteran backup makes plenty of sense for the Jets. Matt Simms, who was Smith’s backup last season after Sanchez’s suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the preseason, will be the No. 3 quarterback now.
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