Eagles lock up Feeley

By John McMullen

The Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback A.J. Feeley to a three-year contract extension on Sunday.

The deal will keep Feeley in Philadelphia through the 2010 season and will likely mean the end of Jeff Garcia’s short tenure with the Eagles.

“A.J. Feeley has been very productive as a quarterback in Philadelphia,” said general manager Tom Heckert. “He’s won some games at crucial times for this franchise and he gives us a great amount of confidence as a back-up to Donovan McNabb. A.J.’s proven to be very comfortable in this offensive scheme and we look forward to having him in the fold for the next several years.”

The 29-year-old Feeley (6-3, 225) was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2001 draft. He was pressed into action during the final five regular season games of the 2002 season due to injuries to McNabb and Koy Detmer and led the team to a 4-1 record and home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Feeley was then traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2004 for a second-round draft choice that was used by the Eagles to select wide receiver Reggie Brown. After a 1 1/2 year stint with the Dolphins, Feeley was traded to San Diego during the 2005 campaign.

He was released by the Chargers during the 2006 preseason and returned to Philadelphia on August 30. Feeley saw significant action during the regular season finale vs. Atlanta and threw for a career-high 321 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 24-17 victory. In that game, he also completed a career long 89-yard touchdown pass to Hank Baskett.

As an Eagle, Feeley has completed 59.2 percent of his passes (122-206) for 1,496 yards, 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He has led the Eagles to a 4-1 record as a starting quarterback.