What are the contract ramifications for the Atlanta Falcons?
Vick’s contract is suspended. His $7.5 million base salary did not count toward the team’s salary cap last season. However, his prorated bonus counts against the salary cap. That number for 2009 is $6.43 million. If Vick is traded, an additional $680,000 — his prorated bonus number from 2010 — would be absorbed under the 2009 salary cap. This amount is not significant as most teams operate with as much as 10 percent of “dead cap money.” The NFL salary cap for 2009 is $127 million per team. 2. What is Vick’s trade value? The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s a tough evaluation for NFL teams. Of the 32 teams, at least 10 have unstable quarterback situations. As Falcons coach Mike Smith says, “This is a quarterback league.” Teams must evaluate if they can sustain the backlash from animal rights groups verses attempting to improve their on-field quality of play. 3. What happens if Vick goes to the startup United Football League? It would be like a trade and his salary cap numbers
