Talks Between The Atlanta Falcons and Asante Samuel Stall
The 2012 NFL draft begins on Thursday. Now, the Philadelphia Eagles are still looking to trade Asante Samuel before the draft starts. Most likely, a deal will get done today that would sent Asante Samuel to a new team, probably the Atlanta Falcons, according to sources. Don’t count out a mystery team, however.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons were close on a deal that would have sent Samuel to the Falcons on Tuesday, but there was a hangup in talks regarding Samuel’s contract.
The problem doesn’t appear to be the compensation involved. There have been multiple reports stating that the Eagles would accept a sixth-round pick in return. Clearly, the Eagles are eager to get rid of Samuel and his massive paycheck. However, Samuel isn’t willing to take a significant pay-cut in 2012, and that is what is stalling talks. The Denver Broncos were also reportedly close on a deal with Samuel, but they to were turned off by Samuel’s unwillingness to significantly reduce his 2012 salary, which is currently at around $9.9 million for 2012.
The worst-case scenario for the Eagles would be releasing him, because they would take a $2 million salary-cap hit. Philadelphia is trying to get anything in return, but it appears that Samuel is not cooperating. Many people believe that Samuel is trying to keep most of his $9.9 million salary and would only restructure to around $7 million. However, the Broncos and Falcons are probably looking for him to come down to around $5 million.
At 31, Asante Samuel is still a solid player and can contribute immediately with his new team. However as of right now, the talks have stalled and the Eagles might have to wait to deal him.
You can follow Max Luckan on Twitter @MaxLuckan
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