That could have been a move that set the team up for an extended Super Bowl run in retrospect. Trade McNabb for a haul - likely two firsts and more, and dump his contract and baggage. He was never the same after that Super Bowl anyway. Draft Aaron Rodgers and find a stopgap like Jeff Garcia for a couple of years. Give T.O. his money and glory. Howie might have jumped all over a move like this if he was the GM back then.

It's a fantastic what-if. No one expected Mcnabb's best football to be behind him at 28 after his break out SB season. His track record under stress on the biggest stage was a serious problem after the SB, and that was a fair criticism hinting at a ceiling for him at that point. Still, that trade was never happening. But if it did?

TO would have exploded. He already exploded with Jeff Garcia once. Unless the Eagles immediately found a pro-bowl QB, which would not have happened, TO would have found his way out of town sooner rather than later. Then they'd have a few extra first round picks in an era when AR really only knew how to draft OL.

I think AR, the OL, the TEs and running game made Mcnabb far more than the other way around. But a veteran, battle tested NFL QB is still a safety net over a revolving door. I think things would have collapsed sooner if that trade happens.

McNabb definitely made the situation worse with his loser reactions to TO's childish behavior but TO's problems were with the FO. If the FO worked with him and came to an agreement, I think McNabb and TO could have coexisted.

TO played a SB with 1 1/2 legs and still had 100+ yards on a terrible day by McNabb. Its not the level of Snider destroying the Flyers by not paying Hextall or McCrimmon but it was a bad decision to not give TO a bump in pay.

8 hours ago, eagle45 said:

It's a fantastic what-if. No one expected Mcnabb's best football to be behind him at 28 after his break out SB season. His track record under stress on the biggest stage was a serious problem after the SB, and that was a fair criticism hinting at a ceiling for him at that point. Still, that trade was never happening. But if it did?

TO would have exploded. He already exploded with Jeff Garcia once. Unless the Eagles immediately found a pro-bowl QB, which would not have happened, TO would have found his way out of town sooner rather than later. Then they'd have a few extra first round picks in an era when AR really only knew how to draft OL.

I think AR, the OL, the TEs and running game made Mcnabb far more than the other way around. But a veteran, battle tested NFL QB is still a safety net over a revolving door. I think things would have collapsed sooner if that trade happens.

Replace TEs with WRs and that's pretty much what people now think about Hurts.