The Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback competition has been settled.
First-year head coach Chip Kelly chose Michael Vick as the Eagles’ starter for the season opener against the Washington Redskins and announced him as the team’s starter for the entire 2013 season, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia inquirer.
Vick beat out second-year quarterback Nick Foles and rookie Matt Barkley to claim the starting role. The 33-year-old Vick has been the best quarterback on the roster this preseason, completing 13 of 15 passes for 199 yards and both a touchdown and an interception in the Eagles’ two preseason games. He also ran the ball twice for 20 yards in last week’s 14-9 win against the Carolina Panthers, which is important as the Eagles are expected to run more of an option-style offense this season.
Foles and Barkley also enjoyed good preseasons, but not quite as good as Vick’s. Foles went 11 of 14 for 96 yards and an interception during the two games. Meanwhile, Barkley completed 19 of 36 for 175 yards and one touchdown.
Vick’s salary also makes him an almost obvious candidate as the starter. He restructured his contract down from the original near $15 million base salary during the offseason, but he is still slated to make $7 million in 2013 with incentives that could boost that number up to $10 million.
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