Trade Rumors: Asante Samuel Being Shopped, Does Not Want to Be Traded

After the dust settled from the bombshell of the free agency period thus far with the Philadelphia Eagles acquiring the services of Nnamdi Asomugha, attention turned to what will happen with Asante Samuel. The Philadelphia Eagles could have easily the best trio in any NFL secondary, although, it is widely believed that they are shopping Samuel to clubs around the league.

The thief in the night has been a favorite character of late for Philadelphia sports teams. Howie Roseman added another chapter to that story today. However, Philadelphia being Philadelphia, minds quickly were diverted to the possible odd man out: Asante Samuel.

The pro-bowl cornerback who is 30 years of age and due a base salary of 5.9 million in 2011 and 8.2 million in 2012. The Eagles front office have bolstered their defensive roster with the signing of pro-bowl defensive end Jason Babin, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday the Philadelphia Eagles decided to part ways with all 15 of their unrestricted free agents. The list of veterans let go by the Eagles includes: David Akers, Sav Rocca, Quintin Mikell, and Stewart Bradley.

Most of the players let go come as no surprise, but many believed that Stewart Bradley would be retained by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Arizona Cardinals have agreed to terms the released linebacker this afternoon adding to former Eagles who will change divisions and bird feathers.

Now that the Eagles have a shortage at the linebacker position, they are in the market to secure depth at the position and veteran experience. Their current starting three linebackers at training camp, according to Sheil Kapadia of Philly.com/sports via twitter:

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"Castillo confirms that Jamar Chaney will line up at SAM... Mathews has been in middle and Fokou at WILL"

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It is hard to believe that the Philadelphia Eagles will start the rookie Casey Mathews at middle linebacker without a true offseason to get acclimated into the system. Middle linebackers are required to call out packages and make adjustments on the fly. I cannot fathom a scenario where Casey Mathews remains the starter come Week 1.

Look for the Eagles to sign a veteran linebacker this weekend to fill in the middle linebacker position, even if it is only as a one year filler. Especially since now they arguably have an excess of talent at a position that two days ago was in dire need of improvement.

The style of play, age, and contract situation of Asante Samuel makes a trade difficult to pull off, but if there is any lesson to be learned from today it is that anything and everything is possible during this free agency window.

After being asked about the possibility of going "light" on one position due to the investments made in defensive end and cornerback, the Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman responded saying:

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"We're exploring all our options at all these positions, but we're still excited about our linebacker group and the guys we've drafted in these last couple years."

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Take from that what you will, but he seems to indicate in his interview he's not close to being done.

A team that seems to be thrown around on blogs and radio shows is the New York Jets. Rex Ryan stating Wednesday:

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"I have a philosophy that you lose games fastest at quarterback and cornerback, so you better make sure you have some corners who can cover some people,"

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The top middle linebackers that could make an instant impact for the Philadelphia Eagles still available are the following: Stephen Tulloch, Barrett Ruud, Channing Crowder, Matt Roth, Kirk Morrison, and Rocky McIntosh.

A wild day for the Philadelphia Eagles. The best part is...they are not done yet.

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