Michael Vick, Steelers meeting after Bruce Gradkowski injury

ByABC News
August 25, 2015, 3:53 PM

— -- Free-agent quarterback Michael Vick was meeting with the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Josina Anderson.

The Steelers are in the market for a backup to Ben Roethlisberger after Bruce Gradkowski dislocated a finger in his left hand during last week's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, a source told Schefter. Gradkowski is having surgery Tuesday, the source said, and is expected to miss three to four weeks.

Landry Jones is the only other full-time quarterback currently on the Steelers' roster.

A source told Anderson that discussions about Vick visiting the Steelers began when the quarterback, coach Mike Tomlin and several Steelers players attended the Hampton Roads Youth Football camp in July in Virginia.

Vick, 35, spent last season with the New York Jets, appearing in 10 games overall, starting three. He completed 64 of 121 passes for 604 yards, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed 26 times for 153 yards.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger supports the potential addition of Vick if the move helps the team. When asked about the QB's past, which includes serving nearly two years in prison for federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, Roethlisberger said, "This is a locker room. It's about football. That's what matters to me most."

Roethlisberger is known in the Pittsburgh area as an advocate for dogs. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation helps support K-9 units of police and fire departments.

Roethlisberger said most of the players in the Steelers locker room "probably grew up wanting to be Michael Vick" on the field because of his "freakish athleticism" while with the Atlanta Falcons.

Teammates shared Roethlisberger's support for a potential addition of the QB.

"He definitely has a lot left in the tank, so I'm excited," said cornerback Brandon Boykin, who played with Vick in Philadelphia.

Vick indicated last month that he was staying in shape despite not being part of a team's training camp. In a post on Twitter, he wrote, "Stay fresh stay focused stay #READY," and it was accompanied by a video of him running through a passing drill.

Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan said earlier this month he considered signing Vick this offseason but decided against it, in part because of his struggles playing in bad weather.

"Mike will tell you, he's not built really [to be] a bad-weather quarterback," Ryan, who coached Vick while with the Jets, told NBC Sports Radio. "He doesn't have great big hands, and the weather affects him some. And he'd be the first one to tell you."

Information from ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler was used in this report.