Donovan McNabb Will Be Released By Vikings, At His Request. Will Bears or Texans Be Interested?

It has come to this for McNabb. Cast out in favor of a Rex Grossman and John Beck combination in Washington. Replaced by a rookie in Minnesota. Now, hoping that he doesn’t suffer the ultimate embarrassment and have no one put in a waiver claim for him.

He does have a few things working for him, though. First, his salary won’t be prohibitive, as he signed a 5.05 million dollar deal for one year before the season. That is low end starter money in the NFL, and the pro-rated portion of that for any team picking him up off waivers is just under 1.6 million.

Second, after last week, the demand for a quarterback just went up even more, so that everything starts to look a little better. The Bears saw Caleb Hanie come out and turn the ball over, something that McNabb still doesn’t do very often, even if he is not the playmaker he once was. The Texans, meanwhile, may have professed confidence in Matt Leinart, but he lasted less than a full game, and they are now down to rookie T.J. Yates, Kellen Clemens and Brodie Croyle. Jake Delhomme.

The tables have turned, though, in the waiver game. The Bears loss means they are now in front of Houston in the waiver process. Donovan McNabb is from Chicago and would likely love an opportunity to play on a contender in his home town. It was during the Bears game earlier this year that he was benched, so the Chicago coaches should have an idea of whether they think McNabb can help them after preparing for him already this season.

Then there’s also this angle. Because it is only 1.6 million to sign him for the year, would a team like Atlanta make a claim? The NFC wild card hunt (spells slowly) is very tight, with Chicago, Atlanta, and Detroit. The current order should have Chicago in front of Detroit, but behind Atlanta. Would it be worth it for an organization to spend 1.6 million to increase their chances of making the playoffs, even if they didn’t need the player? I guess that might also come down to whether Atlanta thinks McNabb can affect it.

[photo via Getty]