Philadelphia Eagles: Trading Asante Samuel Might Not Be the Best Decision

The Philadelphia Eagles are slowly putting together the pieces of their 2012 roster. The closer we get to the NFL draft, the less free-agency action we must expect from the NFL teams.

After the acquisition of DeMeco Ryans, the Eagles do not have any major issues left to address. Of course, they need to find LeSean McCoy’s backup and it would be great if they could bring a veteran safety, but they can take their time planning these moves.

The offseason, though, is not only about new arrivals—it’s also about departures. Juqua Parker and Winston Justice have already left Philly and the latest rumors talk about Asante Samuel being on the trading block.

Samuel’s contract will pay him $9.5 million in 2012. He is one of the big-earners on the Eagles’ roster; however, his status is highly questioned.

Philadelphia has an undisputed starting cornerback in Nnamdi Asomugha and wants to try starting Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie opposite of him. Keeping a player that earns $9.5 million as a backup option is a real scarce luxury in the modern times of professional sports.

Asante Samuel was on thin ice from the moment the Eagles traded Kevin Kolb to Arizona and got Rodgers-Cromartie in return. After a disastrous 2011 season, it became apparent that his days in Philadelphia could be well over.

Trading Samuel will free some valuable cap room for the Eagles and will probably result in a better collection of draft picks. However, there are some negative aspects in that scenario.

First of all, the Eagles will be left with only one reliable player at each cornerback position: Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie as side backs and Joselio Hanson as the nickel corner. The backup options will be Curtis Marsh, Brandon Hughes and Trevard Lindley, which means that they’ll have to sign an insurance cornerback.

Secondly, the Eagles can’t be sure that Rodgers-Cromartie will be efficient. He was good in the last games of the 2011 season; nevertheless, this is no guarantee for the future. Besides, even Asomugha struggled at times last year.

In a likely manner, Samuel can still be a productive player. He was stellar in 2010, probably the best player of Philadelphia’s defense. He’s been to four Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowl titles—certainly, he’s one of the most successful players on the team roster.

There is one alternative for the Eagles to retain Samuel, while generating more cap space and that’s by restructuring their contract with Samuel. I believe Samuel himself knows that there won’t be many teams willing to pay so much for him this year and he’d be positive about a new deal.

Andy Reid needs to think twice before marketing one of his best players.