Michael Vick appears ready to get into the coaching business.
The former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is in talks with Norfolk State and Sacramento State to take over as head football coach, according to multiple reports Monday . This would be the first head coaching job for Vick, who worked as an analyst for Fox Sports after retiring from the NFL.
Vick played two seasons at Virginia Tech in college and led the Hokies to the national championship game in 1999. The Falcons then selected him with the first overall pick in 2001, making him the first black quarterback to be taken with the first pick.
Vick spent his first six seasons in the league with the Falcons, where he won three Pro Bowl titles and led the team to the NFC title game during the 2004 campaign. Vick, however, missed the 2006 seasons and 2007 and spent nearly two years in prison for financing a dog-fighting operation. He pleaded guilty and was later released from prison in 2009, although his playing career took a major hit. The league and most major brands have virtually all severed ties with him.
Vick returned to the league with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent the next five seasons. He spent short stints with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring following the 2015 campaign.
Vick, 44, told the Virginian Pilot On Monday, he interviewed for the Norfolk State head job. He said the HBCU contacted him about the position. Norfolk State fired head coach Dawson Odums in November after the Spartans went just 4-8 last season. Vick’s hometown of Newport News is not far from the Norfolk State campus in Virginia.
Vick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefteris also in discussions with Sacramento State. The program is preparing to move to the FBS level and is looking for a new head coach after Andy Thompson resigned earlier this month. A potential deal, a member of the school’s athletic department told the Sacramento Bee later Monday, is not solidified at all. Reports of Vick being the school’s next head coach are “false.”
It’s unclear where both programs stand in discussions with Vick about their respective jobs, or how seriously they are considering bringing him on board. Clearly, though, Vick is at least considering leaving the analyst chair and beginning his coaching career.
