If you believe Len Pasquarelli of ESPN, there’s a prevailing chance the Buffalo Bills will be trading for Michael Vick sometime before the NFL draft commences in April.  Pasquarelli cited a team source saying head coach Chan Gailey is giving serious consideration to Vick and notes it would only cost the team a later round conditional draft pick.  Credibility to the rumor was fueled yesterday when the Philadelphia Daily News reported the team told Vick he’d be traded before the draft.

Appearing on the Dan Patrick radio show Monday, Vick said he believes in his heart if given the chance to start he can return to the level of prominence he achieved before his life was turned upside down by legal troubles.

“Top 10, to be honest, I’m confident in my skills.” Vick told Patrick when asked where he ranks himself among quarterbacks.  “I know I can play in this league. I know I have a lot of games left in me.”

So is Vick to Buffalo a realistic possibility?

The short answer is yes.  The Eagles have three starting caliber quarterbacks and there’s no way all will be in Philly green in 2010.  Donovan McNabb is the present and Kevin Kolb is the future, leaving Vick as the odd man out. Factor in Vick’s contract and it becomes crystal clear who’ll be first to go.  Vick enters the final season of a two-year deal owed $5.2 million.  There’s no chance the Eagles pay that to a guy who will play at most a handful of snaps per game barring injuries.

So he’ll be traded.  But will it be to Buffalo?

If the Bills want him it’s very doable.  Philadelphia coach Andy Reid will give Vick a chance to have some input on a deal and if he comes to Buffalo, he’ll be the sure-fire starter; something sure to influence his decision. Vick is desperate to prove he can start and have no desire to go to a team like Arizona and compete with Matt Leinart or Minnesota to have Brett Favre looming over his head.

Of course acquiring Vick comes with palpable risks both on and off the field.  First is a matter of money. $5.2 million isn’t chump change, especially in Buffalo. Vick would only be here on a one-year deal and most organizations aren’t fond of acquiring a quarterback for one year. He’s certainly not getting a contract extension before proving himself on the field and if he comes back in a big way he’ll be in demand again—and a threat to take his show elsewhere.

If he flops, and let’s be realistic he hasn’t started since 2006 so it’s extremely feasible, then the Bills are left looking for another starting quarterback in 2011 yet again.  Vick’s no lock to come to Buffalo and get back to his former Pro Bowl ways.  He threw all of 13 passes in Philadelphia, completing six of them for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Then there’s the not-so-little matter of public relations.  There are heaps of casual fans and animal lovers who’ll simply never pardon Vick for his past. The organization would have to labor overtime selling Vick to the ticket buying public. Though the bulk of the community, especially die-hard football fans would give him the benefit of the doubt, opinions about him in Western New York would always be divided.

For example, many players past and present would love to see Vick in Buffalo, but Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is undoubtedly not one of them.

“I would not take him I don’t care what the situation is,” Kelly told WGR in a recent radio interview. “That’s my personal opinion. I’d stay away from him.”

But with the high risk comes prospective for big rewards.  Simply put, Vick is more gifted than anyone currently donning a Bills jersey. Vick was in Atlanta for six years and won (38-28-1) a lot more than he lost.  While he’s never been the prototypical NFL quarterback his numbers were imposing.  He was never a high completion percentage (53.1%) passer, but he threw for 20 more touchdowns (72) than interceptions en route to making three Pro Bowls with the Falcons in four full years as a starter.

Did we mention he can also run? Perhaps no quarterback in NFL history has been more dangerous with his feet than Vick.  He scampered for 3,859 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Falcons, including a NFL record 1,039 yards in 2006, his last season in the league as a starter.

While the New York Jets nearly went to the Super Bowl and Miami is on the rise, the AFC East still goes through New England.  Nothing gives the Patriots defense fits more than a mobile quarterback, just look at what Miami and their Wildcat formation has done to them in recent years.  Vick would be every bit the threat Ronnie Brown is, with the capacity to launch a football 65 yards down the field with a flick of the wrist.

Lastly, there’s also the issue of relevance.  For better or worse Vick would spawn a buzz much like Terrell Owens did in 2009 upon his arrival.  Let’s face facts; nobody outside Bills nation cares about the team and the organization did itself no favors with league perception following low key hiring’s of Buddy Nix and Gailey.

Speaking of Owens, wasn’t it last summer he was heavily advocating Vick’s return to the NFL?  The nothing if not charismatic receiver didn’t hold back words when it was uncertain if Vick would get another chance in the league.

“The Michael Vick situation, I think, is unfortunate,” Owens said to the press last July. “I think the way the commissioner is handling it is unfair to Michael Vick. I think he’s done the time for what he’s done. I don’t think it’s really fair for him to be suspended four more games. It’s almost like kicking a dead horse in the ground.

While to a man there’s not a person who thinks Owens, a pending free agent will return to Buffalo, perhaps the addition of Vick could make him rethink things.  It will take a NFL team probably two to three years at $5-6 million annually to land Owens.

Many frown upon an Owens return, but the 35-year old did have 829 receiving yards despite inferior quarterbacking and a rag-tag offensive line.  More significantly he went a long way towards rehabilitating a tarnished image.

If the circumstances were right, why wouldn’t he be welcomed back? It’s not like James Hardy or Steve Johnson proved they are ready to start in this league, granted each was given precious little opportunity.

Ralph Wilson did say he’s committed to winning, no?

Acquiring Vick, who despite everything he’s been through is still only 29 years old, resigning Owens to give him another weapon and ally as well as finding the best offensive tackle with the ninth pick would go miles towards the offense finally realizing its potential.  Spend the rest of the draft adding more to a defense not bad to begin with and this might become a team that could surprise many.

Keep in mind the Bills went 6-10 in 2009 but were just eight points away from 9-7. In fact, exactly half their losses came by a touchdown or less.  They’re not as far off as most people think.

Vick wouldn’t need to light the world on fire in Buffalo.  If the team can employ a healthy line they could be a very efficient offense with a pair of good running backs in Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.  Vick would add a dimension that division rivals would be forced to respect.

Plus, after ten years of cleaning out lockers 24 hours after the regular season ends, what do the Bills have to lose?