Michael Vick, a former NFL star quarterback best known for his tenures with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, is coming out of retirement to play in startup Fan Controlled League, according to a Reuters report. Vick, 41, will make his league debut on May 28 for an as yet unknown team.
According to the report, Vick’s return was prompted by the success of personal friend and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, who signed with the league earlier this year. Vick joins Owens among notable former NFL players participating in the Fan Controlled League, a condensed version of 7-on-7 style football that takes place on a 50-yard field and allows fans to call plays.
Playing in the Fan Controlled League will mark Vick’s first football action in five years, when he competed in flag football league shortly after announcing his retirement from the NFL in February 2017. Vick’s final action in the NFL came in 2015, when he played in five games and started three as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At his peak, Vick was one of the most prolific quarterbacks of the 2000s, and he is widely considered one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks in league history. The Atlanta Falcons’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, Vick’s rare athleticism made him a dangerous and rushing threat to go with a powerful arm, which led him to winning three Pro Bowls with the Falcons while leading his team through two playoff series. , an NFC South title and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. After his career was cut short by serving time in prison for his involvement in a dogfighting ring, Vick returned to the NFL with the Eagles and became the league’s returning player. year and played in his last Pro Bowl in 2010.
Since the end of his football career, Vick has dabbled in experimental and starter leagues both as a player and as a coach. Vick played in the American Flag Football League and later served as a consultant for the Atlanta Legends of the short-lived Alliance of American Football.
