On July 30, 2006, Vince Young, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft, signed a six-year contract with the Tennessee Titans that was worth just over $48 million, had a maximum value of $57.79 million, and contained $25.74 million in guaranteed money.
Just over six years later, Young is not on the NFL radar screen and has run out of money, the Associated Press reports.
Young earned over $30 million of his rookie contract and banked another $4 million last season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Young signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills in May, but that deal included just $350,000 in guaranteed money and the former University of Texas standout was released in favor of Tyler Thigpen and Tarvaris Jackson in August.
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Young's financial mess has been well-documented. In June, Young filed a lawsuit against his former agent, Major Adams II, and financial adviser, Ronnie T. Peoples of Peoples Financial Service. In the suit, Young claims that at least $5.5 million of his money was misappropriated by Peoples Financial Service. The suit came on the heels of Young defaulting on a $1.9 million loan obtained in Young's name with Pro Player Funding LLC, which has received a $1.69 million judgment against the former Heisman Trophy finalist.
According to Trey Dolezal, Young's attorney, the loan with Pro Player Funding was obtained by Adams and Peoples, who Young has accused of falsifying documents, forging his signature and impersonating him for their own financial gain.
"They conspired to take Vince's money," Dolezal told the Associated Press. "It's that simple."
What's not so simple is Young's path back to the NFL. His opportunity with the Bills may have been his last shot for a steady NFL paycheck. Bills head coach Chan Gailey is a creative offensive mind who could have used a player with Young's mobility, but a 48.1 percent completion percentage and a pair of interceptions in the preseason helped seal his fate with the club. Another factor was Thigpen's willingness to take a $1 million pay cut to remain with the team, a move that Young, who was due $1.25 million in salary, a $300,000 roster bonus in the opening week of the season and $6,250 for each game he was active ($100,000 total), couldn't make.
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Dolezal believes that Young's financial situation may have been a factor in the Bills' decision to release the quarterback.
"I wasn't in the room when they (the Bills) made a decision, but what would you think? It certainly wouldn't help me if I'm the owner or the head coach knowing all this is going on with Vince and then he goes out and plays poorly," Dolezal said.
A possibility for Young could be the CFL. After his release from Buffalo, Young was added to the Montreal Alouette's "negotiation list," which would give them exclusive negotiating rights. The Als currently have the ageless Anthony Calvillo, Adrian McPherson and Josh Neiswander on their quarterback depth chart. Another possibility is the United Football League, which is attempting to restart in a few weeks and has a contract with the CBS Sports Network.
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