Eagles Make a Trade?

Sounds like the Bills have agreed to trade disgruntled LT Jason Peters to the Eagles for the 28th overall pick in the first round, plus another mid-round pick or two.

At first blush, my reaction is Fuck Yes! Peters is a young, dominating LT who has been to multiple Pro Bowls. Acquiring him essentially for a late first-round pick is a coup for the Eagles. With Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews as bookend tackles, the Eagles can be better on the OL than last year, even after the losses of Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan. Both these tackles are athletic maulers who should be even more effective run blockers than the previous bookends. And they could play together for the next ten years, just like Thomas and Runyan did.

There are, of course, concerns. Peters looked out of shape and unmotivated last year as he fought with the Bills over his contract, and it's a crime he was voted to the Pro Bowl. It will also take some time for the new linemates to become acclimated to each other and develop the familiarity and chemistry that was so important to the success of previous OLs. Additionally, Peters is looking for something in the neighborhood of $11 million/year, to make him the highest-paid tackle in the NFL.

Still, you aren't going to get a tackle with the athleticism of Jason Peters at the 28 spot, so this is a smart risk. I wouldn't pay him more than $52 million over 6 years, but as long as he agreed to that, I'd make the trade all day long. (My guess is he'll take it, because otherwise he's going to be stuck on the Bills for two more years making $4 million per.) This isn't nearly as sexy as acquiring a WR like Boldin, but it's a better move.