The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t bringing back veteran quarterback Michael Vick for the 2016 season.
According to Bob Labriola of steelers.com, Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones and Dustin Vaughan will be the team’s quarterbacks going into training camp.
The move doesn’t come as much of a shock. On May 2, the Steelers re-signed veteran quarterback Gradkowski, who will serve as Roethlisberger’s backup, to a one-year extension. With two veteran quarterbacks already on the roster, there wasn’t a need for a third. The Steelers will use that last spot for a younger quarterback, either Jones or Vaughan.
Vick, 35, played five games last season with the Steelers when Roethlisberger was injured. Vick was 40 for 66 (for a 60.6 completion percentage) and threw for 371 yards — averaging 5.62 yards per play — and two touchdowns. Still, he and Brown struggled to be on the same page.
Jones has been with the Steelers since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He got his first taste of regular-season action this past season, appearing in seven games, starting two. Jones was 32 for 55 for 513 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Vaughan went undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. He made the final 53-man roster but was waived by the team in September. The Cowboys elected not to add him to the practice squad. He was then signed by the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad but was released. The Steelers signed Vaughn in January.
Early in the offseason, Vick mentioned he has no plans to retire and that he wants to play football for at least another year. He also had praise for the Steelers organization.
“I love the Steelers organization,” Vick said to the Steelers’ official website. “I love Coach Tomlin. I love the players I am around. I love my teammates. It was an awesome experience this year to compete throughout the playoffs. That’s what I came here for.”
However, Vick’s black and gold dreams have come to an end.
