McNabb fails to impress after signing new contract
After Donovan McNabb signed on to a five-year, $78.5million contract on Monday the Washington Redskins’ quarterback played nothing like the dollar figures suggest.
Playing against his former team, McNabb proved the Philadelphia Eagles were right to get rid of him as he struggled to find any sort of rhythm completing just 17 of 31 passes with three interceptions.
His counterpart Michael Vick on the other hand had a day to remember, completing 20 of 28 passes and throwing four touchdowns. Vick also had two rushing touchdowns on eight carries to send the Redskins to a crushing 59-28 defeat at home.
It wasn’t all McNabb’s fault though, the Redskins’ defence played poorly all night failing to protect their quarterback or stop Vick from rampaging down the field time after time. His performances this season put into question whether McNabb is worth the money or not, especially considering he’s about to turn 34 and is on course to have his worst season since his rookie year.
"I've always said I wanted to be here," McNabb said after Washington's 59-28 loss.
The quarterback has had his critics in the past, not least Terrell Owens who played with McNabb in Philly. After the performance on Monday night Owens had his say via twitter.
"How do u justify a 78 million dollar contract w/this type of performance?" the wide receiver tweeted.
However, the Redskins haven’t put themselves on the line for all that money. The Redskins must decide whether or not to pay McNabb a $10 million option bonus this coming off-season. If they do the whole contract would kick-in and they would become liable for the rest of the contract and his base salary of $2.5million next year.
Whatever happens in the next few weeks Washington can expect the deal to scrutinized by anyone and everyone and if McNabb doesn’t start performing to his usual standards they can expect a backlash from the franchise’s fanbase.
ESPN NFL Insider Michael Smith has reported the deal could reach as much as $88.5million if he leads the team to a Super Bowl in every year, a feat unlikely to be reached based on yesterdays atrocities.