The Eagles’ offseason trade of Asante Samuel was complex for a few different reasons – most of all, because of Samuel’s contract. The veteran cornerback had to restructure his deal with any team that wanted to trade for him, so in reality, it was almost like he was a free agent picking his destination. If the Eagles found a trading partner that was willing to offer up acceptable compensation, the call was still pretty much Samuel’s. No team in the league was going to trade for him and pay his original salary from the Eagles contract. “It was a joint thing,†Samuel said, per the Falcons’ web site. “It was something we all had to agree on together. I had other choices that I was not going to pick. Atlanta was the place I wanted to come. They tried to not let me come to Atlanta of course, but we got it done. We got it done.†The Birds ended up settling for a seventh-round pick from the Falcons. Source: PhillyMag.com
