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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.
April 25th, 2008 at 7:55 am
The Bucs giving up a 2nd and Clayton is far better for them than just giving up a 2nd. Getting a good CB who has an attractive contract, by today’s standards, and getting that horrible waste of roster space (Clayton) off the team would be a good move for Tampa. This is especially true considering the rampant speculation that the team may use a #2 or #3 (but not a #1, tampa-2 defensive teams NEVER draft CBs in round 1!) on a CB anyways. Sheppard is a far better CB than the Bucs could get with any of their picks in the draft.
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April 25th, 2008 at 7:57 am
If all they get is a second rounder that’s a later pick than their own and a washed up WR, the Eagles will have gotten taken!!! I know Lito had some injury issues but still, a 26 y/o two-time pro bowl CB? I’d prefer the Eagles keep him and rework a deal with him rather than just about give him away for peanuts. The Falcons got more for the overhyped and underachieving DeAngelo Hall.
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I’ll help him pack. But really, Clayton? Sorry but not interested… How bout Lito and a mid round pick for Tampa’s 1st round pick. Tampa’s 2nd rounder is in the early 50s and he’s definitely worth as much as Oakland gave Atlanta (35th overall pick?) for DeAngelo Hall. I got it… Package that damn kicker with the 62 yard heartbreaking leg and call it a day!!!
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Yikes! Every time I start to get a little excited about the Eagles draft I read something like this. This trade would be worse than last year, when we got next to nothing from the Cowgirls to move out of the first round, and then seeing Dallas get a first in 2008 for their LOWER pick. Get a clue Heckert!
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I love how yesterday, everyone was saying how bad Lito was and how he was hardly worth anything and now that the Eagles are getting a 2nd rounder and a player for him, he all of the sudden is worth alot more. The Eagles are not getting completely robbed here. They are getting a quality 2nd round pick and a WR who could now be used as a throw in player etc. on potential trades that could help the Eagles move up although it is highly unlikely that Clayton has any real value. But either way, to get a 2nd rounder for a guy that is an average to maybe a little above average corner back is hardly getting robbed. Corners are not that hard to find via the draft, free agency, etc so the Eagles were able to unload him for this 2nd rounder and build on other needs that they have.
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Hey Florio, I will trade you Lito and my 2nd round pick for your flat screen tv and a vehicle to be named later…
Like WTF! after all this build up with names like Fitz, Boldin, Williams, Ocho… We are going to land a guy who had a sub par George Clooney movie named after him… To be honest, I will rather trade for the lawyer than the receiver… One injury prone defensive man for your injury prone wide receiver please… STUPID!
And since when do NFL players hang out at college campuses in the off season? Ran into Bryant and McCoy? Give me a break…
And that people, is what really grinds my gears…
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April 25th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Bad deal and not an ideal situation for the Eagles! Clayton? How many #2 and #3 recievers can you have on one roster? Curtis is playing out of position on the edge; he NEEDS to be in the slot! Reggie Brown is a decent #3; it would be a similar role as Stallworth last year in New England. If the Eagles are going to make a play for a reciever it HAS to be a #1. A solid #1 will complete this offense and make the other average players better! I don’t care what that “Nitwit” Eskin says.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am
People in this town need something to gripe about. I’m sure the Eagles would’ve preferred Lito to be healthy and not have whined publicly about his contract, just like the T.O situation.
The Eagles didn’t have incentive to move Lito until that time, unfortunately the player took the cat out of the bag by publicly whining, and thus reduced the Eagles bargaining leverage.
The Eagles could play hardball here, but why bother when they replaced him with somebody better in FA? They’ll be getting a high pick for a guy who no longer wants to be here, and with the value chart can package either second with their #1 to get into the top ten, or both twos and their one to get up to the 3rd pick if they wanted to.
So stop crying. Please.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I’m a die hard Eagles fan and unless they are unloading Lito
to Tampa for their first round pick (which tampa would never do)
I wouldn’t do it, there is noone on Tampa’s team I want.
What they should do since Tom Heckert keeps saying over and over
thining the more times he repeats it that the fan would actually believe that the Eagles roster is set all across the board and there
is really no real need for an immediate impact player, they there looking for a player who could either contribute this year, next year or two years from now. (someone needs to test him for marijunia also)
The Eagles should give their 1st, 2nd, Lito and if Detroit wants it
a pick next year for Roy (The Truth) Williams whatever it takes, its not like they really know what to do with their picks anyway.
and by their account they don’t really need their picks since they
like to bragg that they keep more undrafted players on their team each year then any other team…. maybe that’s another reason why they were 8-8 last year.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:24 am
I’d take that deal in a heart beat. Even though Clayton can’t catch a cold, he’s a hell of a blocker for a receiver but it’s time for Stovall to start getting his catches. Giving up a second round pick for a proven young CB would allow the Bucs to focus on the WR then need in the first round. Ronde Barber, Eugene Wilson, Lito Sheppard and Phillip Buchanon, sounds good to me!
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:27 am
get a #1 receiver, OT or a DE or don’t trade him at all. or else, we would have just given him away. stand your ground eagles. a high second rounder is ok but unless we get 2 second rounders or a 1st and a 3rd its not worth it. they dont need to bring in another receiver who is going to sit in the rotation with avant, baskett, lewis, etc. its pointless.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:33 am
This makes sense. Ronde is getting up there in years, and Lito could slide in there for him. I agree with MikeWatty though…the Eagles must be trying to catch up to the Jaguars after they took over first place this spring in the “who has the most #2 and #3 receivers on their team” rankings.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I don’t think the Philly fans are cyring…they just don’t want another wannabe receiver on the team. The last guy the Eagles need is Clayton. The Eagles will not get a 1st rounder for Lito. However, they have more picks in this draft then they can sign. So there is no reason not to send Lito to the Bucs along with another draft pick(s) in the lower rounds for the Bucs #1. The Bucs get a PROVEN 1st rnd caliber CB AND pick(s) for their #1.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:43 am
regardless of getting clayton or not, it’s a good deal to take the pick rather than use lito to move up. however, i still believe they will use lito to move up, and allowing him permission to talk to the bucs is more setting up a blan b scenario.
if they take the pick, they can still grab a tackle at 19. your worst case scenario is sam baker, and i’d be fine with that. we need two tackles after the coming season, but rememebr we don’t need to get both right now this instant.
with 2 second round picks then, that’s how you fix your secondary. you can grab 2 safeties, or a safety and a nickle corner, or whatever you want.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Kevin from Philly, know what you’re talking about before you make a post like that.
What’s so horrible about the trade? Dallas drafted Anthony Spencer, who really wasn’t great last year and definitely isn’t better than Bradley at this point. On the other hand, we got our future QB and Stewart Bradley, who if he didnt injure his knee in college would have been a 1st rounder easily, in the 3rd round. Bradley’s gonna be the starting middle linebacker this year. I think we made out ok.
If the Eagles trade him to Tampa for draft picks, my guess is that this is the best offer they received. We already have 11 picks, so trading for more high round picks would just tell me that they’re stockpiling picks for some kind of move, whether for a receiver (I’m doubting that at this point though) for to move up in the draft.
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April 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
and I don’t believe for a second that Michael Clayton is involved. Trust me, the Eagles don’t want him, he’s not any better than anything we already have. That’s just dimwitted Eagles fans reaching for some kind of receiver since this is the only trade we’ve seen so far. No way it happens, don’t count on it.
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:00 am
EaglesOmen, I guess that would work on Madden 08. It don’t work like that in real life though, and if the Lions don’t want to trade Williams, then there’s nothing to even talk about.
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:06 am
The only two teams apparently interested in Lito is Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
The Eagles are probably holding out hope that at some point St. Louis will offer that high second round pick for Lito. More likely, St. Louis is only offering a third while TB is offering their second.
SO we’ll have to wait until draft day to see if St. Louis decides to do a deal, but I think the Rams won’t offer anything better than the 3rd rounder, which means the Eagles will only get the 52nd pick overall from TB.
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:16 am
No Michael Clayton. No no no no no. IF we have to settle to TBs 2nd rounder, TB should include at least their 4th rounder too. Oakland gave Atlanta 2nd and 5th for Deangelo Hall, and Litos a proven All Pro. Plus Oaklands picks are much higher in each round. Im not interested in trading for TBs trash…
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:27 am
First of all, I don’t believe that the Eagles hurt themselves by adquiring Samuel before trading Lito. They very well could keep both and use them at the same time on the field.
In regards of Clayton…. he is not usefull for these “new” Eagles team. Not anymore.
The Eagles have learned from last years Patriots. They need a “Moss” like player, so that they can use Brown and Curtis the way the Pats used Stallworth and Walker, respectively.
So Clayton is just speculation before the draft… right?
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:33 am
This would be a good trade for the Bucs and a bad one for the Eagles. Clayton is a marginal WR that neither team needs. Lito is a Pro-bowl CB. The Eagles already have more picks than they can use.
If this is the best the Eagles can get for Lito, they should keep him, and either use him as a nickel CB/PR/KR or ar CB, with Sheldon Brown moving to S. Though I believe something better than this trade will shake out during the draft, if they really want to move him.
Plus, even though these teams play only every 3rd year (more if they finish in the same place in their divisions), Ronde Barber already knows where McNabb is going to throw the ball before McNabb does. With a ballhawk like Lito who knows McNabb well on the other side, all that will be left of the Eagles’ vaunted passing game when they play TB will be dump-offs, incompletions, and a few interceptions.
Hmm - not much change, really .
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am
MustbeChris,
The fact that Bradley worked out is great, but don’t you think that if the Birds: A) kept their 1st and drafted TE Greg Olsen, then B) used the two on Kolb (or Abiamiri, who’s done nothing yet) THEN C) got Bradley in the third, that we’d be much better off now?
The fact that some aspects of the trade with Dallas worked in our favor does not absolve Eagles management from getting the worse end of the trades. Why didn’t THEY get somebody else’s first round pick this year? Because they didn’t think to try? Imagine if we were at #19 and had Clevelands pick too! We wouldn’t have to worry about what we get for Lito.
Hell of a thing to be an Eagles fan.
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:37 am
But I thought Lito and a 3rd could get Boldin, Chad or Roy Williams?
But, I guess Clayton is in the same category as those guys…
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:39 am
If I were the Eagles, I would insist on Stovall instead of Clayton.
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April 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
The only way that this would make sense for the Eagles is if they are then going to package their 1 and pick for a #1 wr. If left on its own, this is a horrible move.
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