The long-awaited trade of Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard apparently is in the works.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reported on Thursday that Sheppard visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.  The Eagles, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, had no comment. 

Sheppard can’t talk to the Bucs or any other team without permission from the Eagles.  So, presumably, the visit was part of an effort by the Bucs to get to know Sheppard, and possibly to figure out what kind of contractual adjustment will need to be made to get him on the team.

But Sheppard said he wasn’t there to talk business with the Bucs.  “I was there to see some people at the University of South Florida that I know, and while I was there I saw some of the Bucs players,” Sheppard told the Tampa Tribune.  “I saw receiver Antonio Bryant a little bit and linebacker Matt McCoy.  But I didn’t meet with anybody in the front office.”

It has been rumored for months that the Eagles were looking for a first-round pick for Sheppard, and that teams were willing only to give up a second-rounder.  Glazer writes that the deal likely will entail a second-round pick and another pick or player.

We’ve gotten multiple e-mails from folks in the Philly chapter of PFT Planet who think that the player will be Bucs receiver Michael Clayton, a one-time first-round pick who has flamed out over the past few years.

The problem for the Eagles is that they didn’t try to trade Sheppard before signing Asante Samuel.  Once Samuel was on board, it became obvious that the Eagles would move Sheppard, necessarily reducing their leverage in trade talks.