Vince Young Hires Leigh Steinberg

Justin Herrin, Managing Editor, Sports

Texas Longhorns superstar and retired NFL quarterback Vince Young is not ready to give up football for the rest of his life. As a University of Texas employee promoting diversity and community engagement, he finds that the football bug just won’t go away.

He has gone as far to hire long-time agent Leigh Steinberg to represent him and get him meetings with various teams. Having not played a snap since 2011 with the Philadelphia Eagles and being cut from the Cleveland Browns after two weeks in 2014, he will be a fascinating case to follow.

Typically, once players hit 34-35 years old, we start talking about how many years they have left in their career. When will they retire? But in this strange case, Vince Young, 33, is now aiming to actually return to the sport he hasn’t played a snap in since 2011.

Young, who was drafted with the 3rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2006, had some memorable NFL moments. A 2-time pro bowler, probably the most entertaining attribute of Young was his ability to scramble in the pocket and run the ball. At the time, he was a unicorn. The ability to throw and run was a rare find in an NFL quarterback. Now, it is almost expected.

Once Young began his NFL career, he was essentially a turnover machine. Given the amount of turnovers he had in his three years at Texas, this could have been predicted. During his five seasons with the Titans, Young threw 42 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. On top of that, he fumbled the ball 38 times in 54 games, luckily only losing 12 of them. Additionally, in his six games played for the Eagles, Young threw four touchdowns, nine interceptions, and fumbled the ball twice. It is safe to say it would be a huge risk to take a chance on him.

With a 74.4 average rating in his eight seasons in the NFL, he is not the most lucrative option even for desperate teams. Finding a team willing to take a chance on Young will be a big task even for a great agent like Leigh Steinberg. His best bet may be the AFL or even the new spring league that is supposed to come to fruition this April, considering his glory days are well behind him.

In addition to his rather mediocre career, Young recently pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 18 months of probation for a 2016 drunken-driving arrest in Austin, Texas. Young was also fined $300 and ordered to complete 60 hours of community service. Also, he filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Almost every offseason, the NFL sees its fair share of comeback attempts. This is arguably the most interesting one when looking back at Young’s career and his battle with Father Time. However, an agent like Leigh Steinberg would not take on a player without an idea of how he can help him. Your move, Mr. Steinberg.