Talk about an Easter surprise! The Philadelphia Eagles just traded long-time quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. ESPN has the story HERE.
The rumors that McNabb would be traded have been swirling for a few months now, but I didn't start believing them until a couple weeks ago when Andy Reid admitted that the Eagles were entertaining offers for all three QBs - McNabb, Kolb and Vick. With the trade, it looks like Kolb moves into the starting slot and, you have to think, the Eagles will either use Vick as the backup or trade him for a proven #2.
On the face of it, I hate to see McNabb go, especially to an NFC East rival like the Redskins. He's a talented guy and I think he still has some good football left in him.
However, he's 33 now. Although that's not terribly old by modern QB standards, McNabb isn't likely to pull a Brett Farve and play into his late 30s. He's been banged up a lot over the past few seasons and his legs certainly aren't what they used to be. For his sake, I hope the Redskins O-line affords decent protection.
McNabb's age also worked against him in terms of the Eagles general trend toward youthfulness. The Eagles have a habit of trading aging fan favorites, i.e. Brian Dawkins, while they can still get something for them. From what I've seen, these players (the ones the Eaagles traded), while doing OK, generally have not had the same impact with their new team(s) as they had with the Eagles. In short, by the time the Eagles trade them, their best years are behind them.
The other thing that made McNabb expendable was the emergence of Kevin Kolb. The guy finally got some decent playing time last season (filling in for an injured McNabb), and he did all right. Surround him with talented players (which, I think, the Eagles have), give him more reps, and I think he'll do well.
At least, I hope so. We'll find out this summer.