Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick interviewed with GQ Magazine recently, firing off good-sized quotes for Bengals fans to think on. Interestingly enough, Vick says that the Eagles weren't his first choice, saying that Cincinnati and Buffalo "were better options" than the Eagles, who he feared would place him as the team's third-string quarterback behind Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb.
"I think I can say this now, because it's not going to hurt anybody's feelings, and it's the truth... I didn't want to come to Philadelphia. Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options."
Those two teams wanted him and would've allowed him to start, but after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell and other reps from the NFL, Vick was convinced—and granted league approval—to sign with Philly. "And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation."
Cincinnati in most respects, wasn't a likely scenario; though considering Carson Palmer's rehabilitation with his elbow after the 2008 season in which he missed 12 games, it certainly wasn't surprising that Cincinnati reportedly offered Vick a two-year deal worth $2.3 million in mid-August 2009. We can only assume the promise of starting was contingent of Palmer's recovery with his elbow, in which some speculate has never been the same.
What's more than telling is the conjecture, reading between the lines that the league pushed and steered Vick to sign with the Eagles, most likely because it's a more stable situation for a guy like Vick, recently out of prison looking to resume his NFL career. Either way I would hope people would want an explanation on that.