With their starting quarterback of the future in place, the Minnesota Vikings have apparently honored a request by now-backup quarterback Donovan McNabb to release him and subject him to free agency. ESPN's Adam Schefter had it on Twitter:
Filed to ESPN: Vikings plan to release Donovan McNabb today, according to a league source.
After being benched following a week six loss to the Chicago Bears, McNabb was benched with a 1-5 record on the season in favor of rookie signal caller Christian Ponder. McNabb was kept on the roster as a backup, but even though Ponder has struggled mightily at times, the team has stuck with him, obviously looking to get him as much seasoning as possible, with intentions of keeping him the starter heading into next season.
There were reports of McNabb being lazy and not committed in practice following his benching, and according to Jason LaConfora, he requested to be released. That makes Joe Webb the immediate backup to Ponder. McNabb will be subject to the waiver wire, and it will be interesting to see if a team makes a claim. There are teams with significant quarterback injuries like the Texans and the Bears, who might want to claim him.