Donovan McNabb no doubt is a happy camper this morning. In fact, he has about 5 million reasons to be happy.
He and his boss, Andy Reid, will stride to the microphones this morning to talk about his new deal to be quarterback of the Eagles.
The team announced last night they were reworking the final two years of the $120 million deal McNabb signed a few years back that two years to go.
McNabb is now in line to get another $5 million over those final two years, and the money is guaranteed. He was due to make $20 million.
There’s a couple of interesting things about this new deal – none of which I expect to see answered when Reid and McNabb talk this morning.
I’ll be surprised if Reid does not try to review the injuries first.
One thing he likely will not review is why the Birds decided to do this deal with McNabb, when they slammed the door in the face of Lito Sheppard last year, and Sheldon Brown this year. Both made it clear they were unhappy with their contracts and wanted to renegotiate them.
The Eagles’ response: Shut up and play.
In a way, they’re saying the same thing to McNabb, but they’re sweetening the deal along the way. In other words, the team is saying to McNabb, “OK, here’s the deal you wanted, you’re our guy, all is forviven, no more bad vibes, no more whining, now go out there and win.”
The team’s relationship with McNabb has been a bit dicy seen he was benched at halftime of a game in Baltimore last season.
McNabb, never one to let a criticism go unnoticed, has been sulking ever since. He said he wanted a meeting after the season to talk about his status with the team. And then he said he would hold off on any future plans until he saw what the team was going to do to improve in the offseason.
Now it appears all those questions have been answered. You can count on seeing No. 5 behind center at least for the next two years.
There is, however, one person who may not be doing cartwheels over McNabb’s deal. That would be backup QB Kevin Kolb. The team at some point is going to need to make a decision on Kolb. His deal is about to expire, and all they have to judge him on is some meaningless exhibition games, his work in camps, and that one not exactly scintillating half against the Ravens.
Kolb let it slip earlier this year that he would be “disappointed” if the Eagles gave McNabb a new deal.
He’ll have to get over it. McNabb is once again “the man.”
Now he needs to play like it.
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