Niners want Vick?

Vick: Falcons want trade

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary refused to rule out a move for jailed quarterback Michael Vick, after the Atlanta Falcons confirmed they will look to trade him.

Disgraced quarterback Vick is still in prison following his conviction for running a dog-fighting operation, but with his release coming up in July, his NFL future is starting to be discussed.

Vick was the face of the Atlanta Falcons franchise, after signing a 10-year deal worth $130 million in 2004, but they now say he has no future with the team.

The 49ers have problems at the quarterback position, with neither Alex Smith or Shaun Hill nailing down the starting job last year.

Singletary refused to rule out a possible move for Vick once he is released from prison, and it seems that his chequered past would not stop a move to bring him to San Francisco.

Undecided

"I'm not going to say I'm open or closed," Singletary told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat when asked about Vick.

"I'd say it has to be something (general manager) Scot (McCloughan) and I talk about and feel good about one way or the other. But we have not talked about it at this point in great detail. We're trying to focus on what we have.

"I think right now we really need to look at the two guys we have. If everything works out with Alex and he's back, we need to look at that and go as far as we can go with that.

"The whole Michael Vick thing, we have to sit down and talk about that. But for right now, we have enough on our plates."

Another option for the Niners could be veteran Jeff Garcia, who has left Tampa Bay and has been with the team before.

However, 28-year-old Vick's obviously playing ability would make him an attractive proposition if any teams decide to look beyond his criminal record.

Ability

Vick threw for 11,505 yards and 71 touchdowns in six years with the Falcons, but his athleticism was also a huge plus, with the quarterback stacking up a further 3,859 yards rushing and 21 scores.

Luckily enough for Atlanta, the performance of rookie triggerman Matt Ryan in his debut season means they can comfortably try and trade Vick.

"With regards to Michael Vick, we've decided to seek a trade of his contractual rights to another NFL club," said Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

"We feel a trade is the best move for the Falcons, and it's also in the best interest for Michael.

"This has been a really unique situation from a variety of standpoints and because we will actively be involved in a trade situation, I don't envision our organisation speaking any more about this subject publicly until it's reached a resolution."

Any possible trade situation will have to wait until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decides on Vick's future within the league, as he is currently suspended indefinitely without pay, and his status will only be discussed once he has served his time in prision.