Timing right for Eagles to move McNabb

The feeling throughout the NFL no longer is if the Philadelphia Eagles trade Donovan McNabb but when. Coaches and general managers I consulted over the past week believe the Eagles will move the veteran quarterback on or before the April 22 draft.

For one, they said, the Eagles were too candid about McNabb's availability in their conversations at last week's NFL owners' meetings. Second, they said, the Eagles are talking daily to prospective trading partners -- as coach Andy Reid conceded last week. And third, while they said the Eagles seem reluctant to peddle the quarterback, most admitted a trade makes sense from a business point of view.

McNabb turns 34 in November and his contract expires after this season. The Eagles almost surely won't sign him to an extension, meaning he has no more than one year left with the club. And McNabb's successor, Kevin Kolb, is waiting in the wings. That combination makes the timing right, coaches and GM said, with the Eagles plotting a course they believe leads to McNabb's departure.

"Just my opinion," said one coach, "but I think the Eagles really want to play a true West Coast offense, and Kolb is the perfect guy because of his accuracy. This has got to be difficult for Andy because he and McNabb are so close, but I think he's ready for a change."

The Eagles have fielded offers that include draft picks, players and combinations of draft picks and players but have failed to act. Sources said the team remains interested in acquiring a first-round pick in return, but no one I spoke to was willing to offer one this year or in 2011. Furthermore, no one indicated knowledge of anyone willing to make that deal.

In fact, there seemed to be more interest out there in Kolb, the backup who threw for over 300 yards in each of his two starts last season, than there was in McNabb -- which makes sense if you want a quarterback for the future but doesn't when you compare their resumes. McNabb has been to five conference championship games and one Super Bowl; Kolb started two games, one of which he won.

Then there's third-stringer Michael Vick. He remains on the trade radar, insiders said, though barely. There is almost no talk about Vick anymore, with all of the attention focused on McNabb.

"I don't see anything happening with Vick," said one coach. "I don't know that there's a market for the guy."

It doesn't look good for Donovan McNabb, who previously mentioned he wants to end his career as an Eagle. (Getty Images)

There should be for McNabb, the Eagles' starter since the second half of his rookie season and a favorite of his head coach. But the Eagles have not found an offer they can't refuse, with McNabb dangling in the wind as rumors swirl. Reports have the Oakland Raiders as the frontrunner, but sources I trust tell me that there are numerous teams involved -- with the Raiders one of them.

"You'd have to believe they're a logical destination," said one NFC coach. "I mean, who else would be willing to give up a high draft pick for a guy who has one year left on his contract and will make close to $13 million this season? They made the [Kamerion] Wimbley deal. I could see them making this one, too."

So could I, if I believed owner Al Davis was convinced JaMarcus Russell isn't the answer. And I'm not. Russell was dreadful last season, but only Davis knows for certain if he believes the guy can't play at this level. All I know is that, despite the Raiders' denials, they and the Eagles have talked about McNabb, which hardly makes Oakland unique.

"My understanding is that Philadelphia is talking to a lot of teams," said one coach. "They told us that virtually anyone on their roster was available, but once you start talking to them you realize how difficult it is to make a deal because they want so much. All they want to do is win the deal."

That is why the Wimbley trade is worth nothing. The former Cleveland linebacker had one year left on his contract, yet the Raiders didn’t hesitate to surrender a high third-round draft pick for him. Before last season, they paid a future No. 1 (in the 2011 draft) for defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who also had one year left on his contract. So McNabb’s contract status shouldn’t deter the Raiders, though it may others.

"I can’t see getting involved," said one coach, "when you’re talking about paying a first-rounder AND paying McNabb $13 million. On top of that, there's an extension waiting to happen."

Oh, that. The next club that hires McNabb -- should he be dealt -- not only assumes his current contract but would have to enter into a long-term extension … which is just another reason to like the Raiders. They’ve been at the front of the class in megabuck contracts lately, making Sebastian Janikowski the game’s highest-paid kicker one year after making Shane Lechler the game's highest-paid punter.

Nevertheless, there are a few persons who refused to rule out McNabb’s return to Philadelphia because of Reid's affection for his quarterback and because they don't believe the Eagles find what they believe is fair market value for him.

And maybe they’re right. Only remember this: Blockbuster trades usually aren't made this far in advance of the draft. When New England sent Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo in 2002, they did it on the second day of the draft. And they gained a future first-round draft pick in return. The closer the draft, the more likely teams are to deal.

Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles are a team that isn’t afraid to make the tough call. They let Brian Dawkins walk last year. They cut Brian Westbrook this year. They suspended Terrell Owens. Then they cut him. They cut Jeremiah Trotter when he was their leading tackler. They make difficult decisions, and they don't look back.

"The trick to it is to find that right time to do things and then go from there," Reid said at last week’s owners’ meetings. "That’s the hardest part of this job. You have guys who have been with you … a Brian Westbrook, who has given everything he has to your program to make you a championship caliber football team. And then you have to tell him, 'Listen. Time’s up here.' It’s not easy.

"Guys like Trotter. Tra (Thomas). (Jon) Runyan. Dawkins. Troy Vincent. Those are hard, hard things to do. You feel very loyal to the player for what he’s done. They’re putting their necks on the line every day, and you have to respect that."

Reid is right: The trick is finding the right time to make your move. The Eagles acted decisively when they cut Trotter following a bitter contract dispute in 2002, and it didn’t hurt them. They acted decisively when they let Dawkins go last year, too, only they couldn’t replace him on the field or in the locker room.

It’s a delicate high-wire act, and Philadelphia is taking the walk again with McNabb, the quarterback who said he wanted to end his career with the Eagles.

Only now he probably won’t.