The Ultimatum

Donovan McNabb is the greatest signal-caller in Eagles history. Despite many injuries, he's been a part of more wins than any quarterback back in Philadelphia. But we knew that much already. What we don't know is when his stellar career will end.

For now, McNabb wants to be in Philadelphia. And as far as the organization goes, Philadelphia wants the same. In fact, both sides have been working towards a contract extension this offseason. The aging quarterback has asked only one thing of his franchise: that they go after offensive weapons this offseason.

Unfortunately, Andy Reid has only signed one such weapon so far. And considering he -- Leonard Weaver is the name -- plays fullback, I don't know how much of a weapon he'll be. Wide receiver is probably the greatest need on offense, but the free agent pool lacks a top-flight wideout. The same can be said at tight end. And although RBBC (running back by committee) is a proven philosophy, the best free agent backs still want high-paying, full-time gigs. So where does that leave contract negotiations with McNabb, and more importantly, his desire to return? Only time will tell.

Beside the Weaver signing, Stacy Andrews (brother of Eagles right guard Shawn Andrews) is the only addition to the offense. And like Weaver, he won't be lining up at wideout this fall either. On a positive note, the Eagles new right tackle is a contract or two younger and demands much less money than his predecessor, Jon Runyan. And while Stacy Andrews is only months removed from ACL surgery, Runyan is attempting to come back from microfracture surgery on one of his knees. When you combine his age with the fact that microfracture surgery is a hit-or-miss procedure, the Eagles appear to be making the right move.

But Runyan isn't the only tenured Eagle to leave town. Brian Dawkins is gone. Tra Thomas is gone. Correll Buckhalter is gone. L.J. Smith is gone. And that's okay. None of them are superstars. But the idea is to improve. The Eagles don't have to only replace these guys, they need to upgrade.

To their credit, the current regime has had a lot of success over the last decade because they constantly re-evaluate their talent. When a player makes more than their worth, the organization knows when to part ways. It's like any other investment: the longer you hold onto something that's losing value, the less you'll have down the road. I just hope they find some good places to re-invest before next season. For our sake, for Donovan's sake.