49ers free agency rumors: Peter King things Michael Vick to 49ers is dark horse possibility

Sports Illustrated's Peter King posted his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback today, and he decided to engage in a little speculation. He was writing about Michael Vick's free agency status, and he decided that maybe the San Francisco 49ers make some sense as a landing spot:

6. Michael Vick should be in more demand than he is. I keep saying this, and few believe me: Vick's a very good locker room guy now, a leader, and he'd be a good team guy whether or not he wins the starting job. I think if Vick had been more accurate in his past two years in Philly (.581, .546), offensive coordinator Norv Turner could have been sold on him with the Vikings; I know Vick was very interested in Minnesota. The team that makes the most sense is the Jets, because they have no idea if Geno Smith is their quarterback of the future. Oakland makes sense because the Raiders have no idea what they have either. I'll give you a dark horse here: San Francisco. Let's say Vick gets only lukewarm interest to start, or to compete for a starting job. If so, and if the Niners want more than a third-string insurance policy for Colin Kaepernick, Vick might be willing to go to try to win a Super Bowl ring. He turns 34 in June.

Let's clarify one thing: As far as I can tell, this is strictly speculation, and not based on rumors he has heard. I consider this little more than a mental exercise. There's nothing wrong with that, but it needs to be clear from the get-go.

While Vick can bring some things to the table, for now this seems like a long-shot at best. As our friends at Bleeding Green Nation have pointed out, Vick has repeatedly said he wants to go somewhere he can potentially start. In San Francisco, that would not be the case as long as Colin Kaepernick were healthy.

Whatever quarterbacks we see added to the 49ers roster this offseason, I can't imagine that Jim Harbaugh would say Colin Kaepernick is in direct competition for the No. 1 job. He might talk about the importance of competition, and I'd bet good money he'll use the phrase "iron sharpening iron", but Colin Kaepernick is the No. 1 guy. Michael Vick would know that, and any chance he'd sign with the 49ers would be after he's recognized either he can't be a starter in the NFL this year, or he doesn't want to be a starter for a bottom-feeder.

I suppose anything is possible, but in the season of silly rumors, this is on that radar. It's not absolutely out of this world crazy, but from a purely logical perspective, it seems a little far-fetched for now. Of course, if we get a couple weeks into free agency and Michael Vick has not signed with a team, the chances of it happening could grow. I still think the 49ers look for a rookie to develop behind Kap. They could conceivably carry three quarterbacks with Vick (or another veteran backup) and that rookie, but I just don't see that right now. We'll just have to wait and see.