I didn't know Atlanta was making the trade,'' the Newport News native said. He wasn't the only one caught off guard. He also made clear that he felt the most important signing deadline for Vick was the opening of training camp, not today. However, the Chargers had insisted that they would trade the pick or select someone else without a pre-draft deal. Falcons general manager Harold Richardson said trade talks began three days ago, when negotiations between the Chargers and Vick's agents, Colona and Michael Sullivan, stalled.
Talks hit serious snags from the beginning.
The agents wanted Vick treated as a first pick even though he would sit for a year or two, while the Chargers didn't want to get burned like they did in taking Ryan Leaf with the second pick in 1998. Chargers coach Mike Riley said. The Chargers originally had no third-round pick. San Diego could still end up with a quarterback if Purdue's Drew Brees falls to the second round. Though lacking the overall talent of Vick, he's viewed as more ready for the NFL than Vick.