Falcons Trade for Asante Samuel

Added on Apr 25, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

One of the NFL’s best cornerbacks is on the move. After nearly two years of will they or won’t they speculation, the Philadelphia Eagles have finally traded away four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel to the Atlanta Falcons. Samuel, who had two years remaining on his deal with the Eagles, has inked a new three-year contract that will pay him $18.5 million.

Once Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were added to the Philly secondary last summer, the writing appeared to be on the wall that Samuel would be shipped elsewhere at some point. The attempts to play all three last season proved disastrous as none of the trio is skilled at playing in the slot. And with Asomugha earning a fat salary and Rodgers-Cromartie only 26, the 31-year-old Samuel was the odd man out.

Now the Falcons will have to figure out how to platoon three upper echelon defensive backs. With Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes entrenched as starters, it will be interesting to see how Asante fits into the equation. Of course having a guy with 45 career interceptions and five touchdowns on the roster is never a bad thing.

Plus, having been shredded by the Cardinals, Packers and Giants in their last three playoff losses, a talented addition in the secondary was long overdue. Samuel’s penchant for reading quarterbacks and making them pay for mistakes is well-known throughout the league. Eli Manning must be smiling wide now that he won’t have to face his nemesis twice a year anymore.

As for the Eagles, they continue to reshape their defense in hopes of finding the right mixture of players to strengthen what has been a maligned and inconsistent group since defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s shocking death in 2009. Trading away a good player with gas left in the tank isn’t usually their modus operandi, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and head coach Andy Reid is running out of mulligans. Samuel’s public displeasure with the front office likely played a factor in the move as well.

The Eagles will reportedly receive a late-round pick in this year’s draft as compensation, which isn’t much considering what they gave up.

Source: NFL.com