6:47pm: Vick’s one-year deal is worth roughly $1MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
6:32pm: The Steelers have agreed to a deal with quarterback Michael Vick, Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette tweets. It’s a one-year deal, according to Mark Kaboly of the Tribune-Review (on Twitter).
Vick, 35, visited the Steelers on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach agreement on a deal. The veteran indicated this offseason that he would like to play in the NFL for three more years, but he didn’t draw a ton of interest since his contract with the Jets expired in March. Last year in New York, Vick completed just 52.9% of his passes, throwing for 604 yards and adding another 153 yards on the ground in limited action, including three starts.
The Steelers found themselves in the market for a new backup for Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski left this weekend’s preseason game with a hand injury. Gradkowski dislocated a finger on his left hand and is having surgery, but since it’s not an injury to his throwing hand, he shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.
Besides Roethlisberger and Gradkowski, the Steelers are also currently carrying former fourth-round pick Landry Jones and undrafted free agent Tyler Murphy at the quarterback position. While Jones could be a candidate for the No. 2 job, Murphy isn’t expected to make the roster.
This definitely shows that the team has lost all faith in Landry Jones. A fourth-round pick who’s entering his third season should probably be able to be counted on as at least a backup. The fact that Pittsburgh went out and got Vick means they simply don’t trust Jones.