Joe Banner Discusses Eagles Moves

Here is a short but interesting interview of Eagles Team President Joe Banner discussing the Birds offseason so far. He talks about going after Randy Moss, and how they will deal with the Lito Sheppard situation and trades in the future.

Randy Moss still hasn't signed with Patriots?

Maybe this Randy Moss story isn't over just yet. As of Monday, it was reported that Moss was set to re-join the Patriots and would sign a 3 year, 27 million dollar contract. The Eagles made their pitch to get Moss to Philly, and he almost came here, but he chose to stay in New England, and the Eagles were left to look elsewhere to find a number one receiver.

Or are they? Ron Jaworski, on the Jody Mac show on Sports Radio 950, and GCobb.com have reported that Randy Moss has yet to actually sign a contract with the Patriots. Jaworski stated that the deal might be "falling apart" and that both sides are still haggling over the final numbers of the deal. Jaws says that Andy Reid and the Eagles are ready to swoop in and try to pry Moss away if he is having second thoughts. This all sounds like good news to the Eagles, who would have to be the front runner for Moss if he doesn't stay with the Patriots.

However, the rumor may not have any validity. ProFootballtalk.com, which is usually a pretty reliable source, emphatically refutes the story. They say that the deal has been signed, and if you go to the NFLPA web site, it is posted that Moss is signed with the Patriots through 2010.

Ron Jaworksi is not usually the type to make up rumors, but I think in this case we have to assume that Randy Moss is a Patriot. The chances that he didn't actually sign the contract are slim, and even if he hasn't, they could be simply hammering out the final details. If there is truth to these rumors, the Eagles better be on the phone and ready to give Moss whatever it is he wants that the Patriots won't give him. If there is any chance they can sign him, they better be putting all of their efforts into trying to get it done.

To listen to audio from the Ron Jaworski interview, click here.

One last question for Eagle fans to discuss in the comment section: If both were available, which receiver would you rather have, Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss?

Sifting Through the Eagles Rumors

There are a ton of Eagles rumors flying around the internet. There are any number of trade scenarios and free agent signings that have been "sure to happen" according to a number of different sources. The Eagles have been linked to nearly every available wide receiver, and Lito Sheppard has been traded to about ten different teams already. So what are we to believe? What are the Eagles really going to do? I am not going to pretend like I know what's going to happen, but I want to run down what we know and try to figure out what rumors might actually have some merit.

What we know:
*The Eagles want a top flight receiver The Eagles went after Randy Moss. That's a fact. Going after Moss proves that the Eagles want a number one receiver. Andy Reid knows that if the Eagles go through next season with a receiving group led by a pair of number two receivers, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis, their offense will remain stagnant. They need a true number one receiver who can either help to stretch the field or draw a double team as he goes across the middle. Going after Moss was a declaration to the league that the Eagles want a number one receiver, and they are willing to do what it takes to get one.

*The Eagles are willing to trade Lito As good as the Eagles secondary would be next year with Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard, one of them is likely to go. While keeping three starting caliber corners would help them shut down opposing teams who like to run spread offenses, there are potential issues that could arise. The main problem is that all three think they are starting corners, so whoever plays nickel corner will be upset. Reportedly, the Eagles are willing to move Lito Sheppard, and have already begun fielding offers from other teams. Rumors are swirling as to possible trading partners, with the Redskins, Lions and Cardinals as the rumored suitors. What they might get for the oft-injured former Pro Bowler is another story. I have heard everything from draft picks to star receivers. Of course, the Eagles can't overplay their hand and show other teams they are desperate to move Lito, so they won't let it be known that they want to dump him. If other teams know the Eagles can't wait to get rid of him, they won't get anything good in return.

The rumored moves:
*Free Agent Receivers There isn't much left in the free agent market. Bryant Johnson and D. J. Hackett are the best available, but they wouldn't be an upgrade over what the Eagles currently have. They would be more of the same. A receiver would have to be acquired through a trade.

*Larry Fitzgerald As I said before, the Eagles are going after a top receiver, and there have been grumblings that the Cardinals won't be able to pay Larry Fitzgerald, so they want to move him to another team. Obviously, if Fitzgerald is available, he has to be someone the Eagles are pursuing. If they would really trade Fitzgerald, which is very unlikely, what would the Cardinals want for him? They could use help in the secondary, so Lito Sheppard could be an option. The Eagles would also need to throw in a few first day draft picks as well. If Lito isn't a part of the deal, I don't think the Eagles have enough to offer to get it done.

The other problem with the Eagles acquiring Larry Fitzgerald is the same problem the Cardinals are having: his contract. Fitzgerald is set to make a total of 31 million over the next two seasons. The Eagles already spent a ton of money on Samuel so they are no going to be happy having two guys taking up a huge chunk of their salary cap. The Eagles would likely try to get Fitzgerald to restructure his contract, but if he is willing to do that, the Cardinals would be able to keep him.

*Roy Williams The Lions receiver has been rumored to be on the trading block, so again, you can bet the Eagles are showing interest. While Williams is not on the level of a Larry Fitzgerald or Randy Moss, he's in the next tier of receivers and would be a definite number one option on the Eagles. So if the Lions are willing to trade, does Philly have anything they want? They have an awful defense, and need help at corner and on the defensive line. They would certainly want Lito, but the Eagles don't have any tradeable pieces along the D-line. While it would be great to get rid of Darren Howard, even Matt Millen isn't dumb enough to pay Howard's contract for his minor contributions. A deal for Roy Williams seems more likely than for Fitzgerald, but it would also take Lito and a high draft pick.

*Chad Johnson I am not sure why he keeps popping up in trade possibilities. Even if he wants to get out of town, the Bengals have no interest in trading him. If they did, they would ask for way more than the Eagles would be willing to give up. Johnson has more of a chance of going to a team with a top 5 pick in the draft.

To sum it up, we know the Eagles want a top flight receiver, and that receiver has to come through a trade. Their best trading chip is Lito Sheppard, but he alone will not get them a great receiver. A package of draft picks with Lito included might get it done. So, what will the Eagles do? The Eagles have let a lot of information leak recently, which has allowed fans to be in on their pursuit of Asante Samuel and their attempts to bring in Randy Moss. I have a feeling they will work under the radar on the next move.

You can get excited that the Eagles are working hard to improve their club, but don't get too excited by every rumor you hear. If you hear about a trade that is too good to be true, it is, because if the Eagles had an offer like that, they would have already accepted it. By the time many of these things become rumors, they are no longer possible. We just have to trust that the Eagles will be able to pull something off, because if they don't get another playmaker on offense, we may be looking at another season out of the playoffs.

Moss Almost an Eagle

Randy Moss was very close to coming to Philadelphia. Various sources are reporting that the Eagles offered Moss more money, but Moss was simply more comfortable remaining in New England. ProFootballtalk.com has the story on just how close it was:

"...it was a day of high drama. The process went back and forth between the Eagles and the Patriots. At one point, the Eagles thought they had him. Then, it looked like the Pats had him. Then the Eagles. Then the Patriots.

One source said that the Pats won Moss "at the wire."

Moss, as we're told, was afraid to leave a place where he's happy after being unhappy for so many years before that."

Wow. To this point I thought Moss was just gathering offers from other teams to try to get the Patriots to step to the plate, but this report seems to show that Moss was seriously considering coming to Philly.

I love how aggressive the Eagles are being this off season, it's a refreshing change. Perhaps the Eagles will now focus all of their energy on prying Larry Fitzgerald away from the Cardinals. Eagles fans will be clamoring for something to get done after they narrowly missed out on Moss.

Randy Moss Re-signs with Patriots

Looks like the pipe dream of seeing Randy Moss in an Eagle uniform is over. Moss re-signed with the New England Patriots for 3 years, 27 million. Moss was likely using other teams, like the Eagles, as leverage in getting more money from the Patriots. We will never know if the Eagles actually showed any real interest in signing Moss, but hopefully they at least inquired as to whether he wanted to come to Philly.

So where does the Eagles search for a top receiver go from here? All of the top free agent receivers have signed. They reportedly have no interest in Javon Walker. A trade for Larry Fitzgerald seems unlikely. Either the Eagles have something else up their sleeves, or we are looking at the same group of receivers again next year. Get used to hearing about Reggie Brown "taking it to the next level" again.

Javon Walker a Wanted Man.... or not?

As rumors continue to swirl about Randy Moss, with the latest involving the Minnesota Vikings, a cheaper option is drawing a lot of attention around the league. Javon Walker apparently has ten teams interested in his services: the 49ers, Bills, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Redskins, and Vikings. Notice thats the entire NFC East going after the oft-injured wide receiver.

If the Eagles can't get Randy Moss, then, barring a trade, Javon Walker would be the next best option. He would come at half the cost of Moss, although his price will be driven up since 1/3 of the league is in competition for his services. If healthy, Walker would be a great addition, and a serious weapon for Donovan McNabb. He can make catches across the middle, and has the speed to beat defenders deep. Dare I say, he is more versatile than Moss, who seems to only thrive on deep routes. Having started his career in Green Bay, Walker also already knows the West Coast offense.

Javon Walker might end up being the a better option than Randy Moss simply because he will be cheaper and he won't be a locker room distraction.

UPDATE: According to ProFootballtalk.com, the Eagles and Redskins are not interested in Walker. Apparently Walker's agent is trying to drum up interest for the receiver. It might only be the Cowboys with an interest in Walker, and his agent is trying to get a good contract by faking a market for him.

Two More Receivers off the Board: Donte' Stallworth and Bernard Berrian

Unless the Eagles can sign Randy Moss, it looks like the Birds will have to get a top receiver through a trade, because two of the best free agent wide receivers have just been signed. Donte' Stallworth signed with the Cleveland Browns, and Bernard Berrian was signed by the Minnesota Vikings. There is no way to know if the Eagles were interested in bringing in either player, but it's safe to say their focus on signing Asante Samuel probably cost them a chance at these two top free agent wide receivers.

Stallworth would have been a nice pick-up, as he can spread the field and is familiar with the system. I wouldn't want to overpay for a guy who faded down the stretch like he did, though. Braylon Edwards and Stallworth will make an excellent one-two combination for the Browns. No terms of the deal have been reported as of yet.

Berrian signed a six year deal with the Vikings. He's another guy that can really stretch the field, but he was probably out of the Eagles price range.

No word on Randy Moss yet, though some rumors are circulating that the Cowboys and Eagles are showing major interest, and you can be sure the Patriots are still in the mix.

Randy Moss Looking for a team

Randy Moss has been a free agent for almost a full day. He reportedly is not happy with the deal that the Patriots are offering him, so he has begun listening to other teams. Even though he seems happy to be a Patriot, Moss feels like he is worth more than the Pats are offering him.

Should the Eagles pursue? First of all, the Eagles must figure out if they can afford another hefty contract. After signing Asante Samuel to a huge deal, can the Eagles afford to pay another top free agent? Not likely. That is also why the Larry Fitzgerald trade situation won't pan out. You can't allow two players to take up 20% of your cap space and expect to field a competitive team. If the Eagles signed another free agent to a 8 or 9 million dollar contract, massive cuts would have to take place.

Of course, there is the question as to whether the Eagles would want to deal with Randy Moss. Moss seems to have changed his attitude since joining the Patriots, but that is probably due to all the winning and the numbers he was putting up. Moss feels like the Patriots are trying to sign him on the cheap right now, and he thinks he should get paid coming off a record-breaking season. Although I anticipate the Eagles being a good team next year, if they were to sign him, then somehow struggled and Moss wasn't getting enough catches, we could have a T.O. situation on our hands. This team can't handle something like that again.

Don't count on Randy Moss being an Eagle. While he would be a phenomenal player for the Birds, and he and McNabb would put up amazing numbers, he is not financially nor behaviorally an option. He would cost too much, and the potential problems would not be worth the trouble. Let's just hope that Moss doesn't sign with the Cowboys, because him teaming up with T.O. would be scary good. Maybe we shouldn't worry, though, because we do have the secondary that could handle that if it should happen!

Moss Not Tagged by Patriots

Don't get your hopes up, Eagles fans. Even though I wrote ten days ago that the Eagles would be interested in Randy Moss if he was available, it appears that the New England Patriots won't be placing the franchise tag on Moss because they have agreed to a multi-year deal with the receiver. The deal can't be announced until free agency starts, so I am sure there will be much speculation up until that time.

Eagles Eyeing Moss?

It's hard to tell what to believe about the Eagles this offseason. Rumors have been flying about every remotely available wide receiver, from Larry Fitzgerald to Roy Williams to Javon Walker. It's difficult to say if these are just scenarios dreamed up by fans, or if the Eagles are actually trying to appease Donovan McNabb's cry for more playmakers.

The latest rumor involves the Eagles going after possible free agent Randy Moss. Even though everything I have heard up until today has said that Moss will return to New England, Chris Mortenson of ESPN reported that the Eagles will go after Moss if he becomes available. I have scoured the internet, and have found no other source that can confirm this rumor, but it is still interesting to think about. Would Moss come to the Eagles? How much money would it take? And would the Eagles want him, with all of his character issues? If you thought T.O. was bad, at least he doesn't take plays off like Randy Moss. Moss could be a changed man after his one year in New England, but who's to say he won't revert back to the jerk he was in Oakland?

I say to take this rumor, like all the rest about the Eagles going for a receiver, with a grain of salt. I am sure that the Eagles will at least look into some of these situations, but we are more likely to see a second tier type of receiver, like a Bernard Berrian, than a true star, like a Larry Fitzgerald, playing in Philly next year. This rumor about Moss could be another attempt by Chris Mortenson to grab some headlines, like he did a few weeks ago with the story about the Ravens going after McNabb, which the Ravens flatly denied. Get ready for a whole slew of rumors about the Eagles, but don't get too excited until something actually happens.