Michael Vick’s lead rehab investigator said in a statement earlier this week that only Vick himself knows if he’s changed as a person. If money were truly a virtue of reward, it would appear that Michael Vick has indeed transformed into one of the most admirable men in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles bestowed upon Vick the franchise tag Tuesday, assuring him that he’ll be receiving the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL in 2011-2012, a figure that comes out to $16 million.

As far as the organization’s immediate plans, they played it safe by not signing Vick to a massive five or so year contract, but rather paying him what most would agree Vick earned last year for at least one guaranteed year.

Michael Vick seemed unstoppable throughout the first ¾ of the season, until teams figured out that simply blitzing a safety would cause him to panic and force him to make quick, off-balanced throws out of the pocket or to scramble unintentionally. Until then, he was the favorite by many to beat out Tom Brady and Philip Rivers for MVP. Because teams figured out how to accommodate for Vick, his offensive production was curbed as he took more and more hits. Vick was out of football for two years and came back more spry than he was when he left. In just two years, however, the hits started coming as he marketed himself as a mobile quarterback who could hurt you as much with his legs as with his arm.

Unfortunately for Vick, the fountain of youth won’t be swelling for much longer. This would have been Vick’s tenth year in the league and it’s not probable for him to have more than three astonishing seasons like the one he pieced together last season. He’s more of a running quarterback than anyone else in the league. Even in his pro bowl season, he missed games early on due to a rib-cartilage tear he suffered in week four when he dove toward the end zone and got sandwiched by two Redskin defenders. The injuries will keep coming and Vick will get knocked around just as a running back does. Running backs don’t age gracefully and only stick around for six or seven seasons, while bigger names tend to quickly burn out after two years of excellent production.

This is where the Eagles are in a bit of a rut. Kevin Kolb was supposed to be the heir to the throne when Donovan McNabb’s reign was through. McNabb is gone, and Kolb is still waiting in the throngs. Kolb has made it known that he wants to start next year, so the Eagles have started to entertain trades. When the Cardinals asked pro bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald whom he wanted as a quarterback, Fitzgerald named Kolb and former Rams quarterback Marc Bulger as two candidates.

It’ll be an easy for the Eagles to part ways with Kolb, but they could be making an egregious error. Kolb isn’t nearly the mobile threat that Vick is, but he’s a solid quarterback who is expected to be superb a few years into his development. While Kolb is throwing bombs to Larry Fitzgerald, the Eagles will be left to look for another quarterback as Mike Vick will be on the fast down slope of a bizarre and exciting career.