Omaha quarterback Jeff Garcia is flattered to hear his name linked to possible openings in the National Football League.
But the 40-year-old Garcia stressed that any talk of his departure from the United Football League Nighthawks is just that, and his focus remains on Friday's game at Las Vegas.
“It's nice to know that my name is on the radar, that my name is being brought up in certain circles in the NFL," Garcia said after Monday's practice at the Kroc Center. “As much as that's exciting, what we have going on here is exciting.
“I'm fortunate to have been a part of what's happened here in the first two weeks of the season, and I just want to continue that."
Garcia heard his name mentioned Sunday night as an option in Philadelphia, where starting quarterback Michael Vick suffered an injury in a loss to Washington. It was feared Sunday night that Vick might have suffered broken ribs that might have sidelined him for an extensive period of time.
An MRI on Monday revealed that Vick has a rib cartilage injury, and he is listed day-to-day. Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters that Vick's status for Sunday's game against San Francisco is uncertain.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com said on the pregame show before Sunday night's NBC broadcast that Garcia's agent, Doug Hendrickson, said Garcia would be interested in returning to the NFL and speculated that the quarterback could be an option for the Eagles.
Garcia twice played for Philadelphia in his 11-year NFL career, the most recent time being last September when he spent two weeks with the team and played in one game.
Garcia said he has talked to Hendrickson, and the agent told Garcia that no NFL team has been in contact.
“There are teams out there that have needs, and it's more than just Philadelphia," Garcia said. “Until one of those teams calls and actually talks to my agent, or calls here and talks to Rick Mueller, it's just talk.
“I've been through this before, and my whole attitude has been not to get caught up in it. I'm going to focus on what I'm doing here and trying to get better and help this team to more wins."
Mueller is the Nighthawks' general manager. He said he doesn't believe anything will come of the Philadelphia situation but that he can see why Garcia's name is being mentioned.
“You'd have to have your head in the sand not to realize that he's the best quarterback out there that is not in the NFL right now," Mueller said.
The standard UFL contract, which Garcia signed, ties players to the league throughout the season. Mueller said each contract contains a $150,000 buyout clause, and any player movement to the NFL during the UFL season also would need to be approved by Commissioner Michael Huyghue.
Garcia said in August that he does not believe his contract contains any additional language that might release him prior to the end of the season. He said Monday that he does not know all the details of his contract.
“I know I signed a contract committing myself to the Omaha Nighthawks," Garcia said. “If there is a way out of it, I don't know the fine print.
“And it's not something I'm investigating right now."
Garcia has led the Nighthawks to victories in each of their first two games. He's passed for 509 yards, completing 42 of 75 attempts. He's thrown five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Garcia said his time with the Nighthawks has allowed him to be ready in case an NFL team would come calling. And if the call comes, would he listen?
“I don't even want to talk what-ifs," he said. “I've gotten myself in trouble in the past with what-ifs. If it becomes reality, it will be something that we have to think about and discuss.
“Until then, I'm not going to get distracted with outside talks."
• NOTES: The Nighthawks have signed defensive end Dewayne White and waived Charles Grant. White is a former second-round NFL draft pick out of Louisville and played seven seasons with Tampa Bay and Detroit, recording 203 tackles and 27 sacks. Omaha had selected White as the first overall pick in the UFL draft last spring. “Pass rushers are hard to come by and we've had our eye on this one since the draft back in June," Mueller said in a statement. “We couldn't be more excited to have a quality player like Dewayne in a Nighthawk uniform." ... Several players, including running back Ahman Green, missed Monday's 2½-hour practice because of bumps and bruises sustained in Saturday's 20-17 win over Sacramento. Team officials said none of the injuries is considered serious. ... Las Vegas is 1-1 after beating Florida last Thursday on Parker Douglass' 21-yard field goal as time expired. Douglass is a Columbus, Neb., native who played college football at South Dakota State. On Monday, the Locomotives waived Douglass ... The UFL announced Monday that the expansion franchise that will begin play next season in Virginia will be nicknamed the Destroyers, Tritons or Navigators. Fan voting will determine the nickname, as it did the selection of Virginia over Hampton Roads in naming the expansion franchise.
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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