Pats' Samuel is in with a six-year deal

The NFL's free-agent market opened yesterday and the Eagles moved swiftly, enticing cornerback Asante Samuel to leave the New England Patriots and sign a six-year contract worth $57 million.

"This is Asante's day," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "I want to make that very clear. We don't want to go out of bounds and talk about other players other than Asante."

Avoiding the subject of other players, however, was impossible, because Samuel's arrival likely means the departure of Lito Sheppard, the Eagles' two-time Pro Bowl cornerback. Reid said Samuel would be the team's starting left cornerback next season, a position held by Sheppard since 2004.

The Eagles' newest arrival also cost Joselio Hanson his No. 22 jersey, which was the number Samuel wore with the Patriots. The No. 22 Samuel jersey already was available for purchase on the team's Web site (philadelphiaeagles.com) shortly after the Eagles completed their first free-agent signing about 5 p.m.

The veteran cornerback's agent was asked the key to getting the deal done.

"Money," Alonzo Shavers said.

He meant it as a joke, but everyone knows that the financial numbers are almost always the driving force behind any deal.

And rest assured, that's the reason Shavers and Samuel decided to make Philadelphia their first and only stop on the cornerback's free-agent tour.

The numbers that got the job done: $57 million, with a little more than $20 million of it guaranteed in signing bonuses.

"The key to getting this done was everybody being on the same page," said Shavers, a former defensive back at Ohio State. "Asante was dedicated to being with an organization that had a winning tradition, and we wanted an organization that was dedicated to having Asante as their guy."

There has been no better team at winning in this decade than the one Samuel just left, but the cornerback obviously did not have the best of feelings for the New England Patriots, who did not make a serious bid to keep their all-pro cornerback.

Asked whether he felt underappreciated by the Patriots, Samuel answered with two words: "No comment."

Asked a similar question, Shavers said, "We're here in Philadelphia, aren't we?"

If it was appreciation Samuel wanted, he got a heaping helping from Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and coach Andy Reid as he sat between the two in the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex.

"We regarded Asante as the No. 1 available free agent in the NFL, and we are very, very fortunate to be able to acquire him," Lurie said.

In five seasons since the Patriots made him a fourth-round draft pick out of Central Florida, Samuel has intercepted 22 passes, returning three for touchdowns.

Two of those interceptions and one of those touchdowns came in last season's game against the Eagles. Samuel, 27, has been exceptional the last two seasons, coming up with 16 interceptions - which is why Shavers refers to his client as a "pick magnet."

"Obviously, I think the cornerback position is very important," Reid said. "When you have an opportunity to get the best one in the business, then you need to look at that. I welcome him aboard, and I know [defensive coordinator] Jim Johnson has great plans for Asante."

The burning question, of course, is: What do the Eagles plan for Sheppard?

Though Sheppard, Samuel and Sheldon Brown give the Eagles the best cornerback trio in the NFL at the moment, it is doubtful they will be together on opening day.

The rumor from a dozen days ago that the Eagles had given Sheppard's agent, Peter Schaffer, permission to seek a trade might still be false, but it's absolutely true that the Eagles will field trade offers for the cornerback in the coming days.

Sheppard is a two-time Pro Bowler who is younger than Samuel, and the Eagles aren't the only team that values quality cornerbacks. Sheppard's biggest problem has been staying on the field. He has missed 14 regular-season games and a postseason game because of injuries in the last three seasons.

"The fans should be happy," Brown said. "Asante is a great player, and I've always believed that hard work pays off, and he's been rewarded. Lito is a great friend, and he holds a special place in my heart. We came into the league together, and it would be a tough one if we weren't together. But I do know this is a business."

Brown said he wouldn't be surprised if he were traded instead of Sheppard.

"I'd have no regrets if that happened," he said. "Philadelphia has been great to me, and Andy Reid has been great to me. You never know what's going to be interesting to somebody."

Sheppard did not return a phone call last night.

Samuel said the Eagles were one of four teams on his free-agent list.

"It has always been a winning organization, and they've had a lot of history here," Samuel said. "The fans have always been supportive of their team. I just want a chance to be able to win and get back to the Super Bowl. That's why I picked the Philadelphia Eagles."

Four weeks ago, Samuel had a chance to be part of a perfect Patriots team, but he let a chance for a fourth-quarter interception slip through his hands, and the New York Giants went on to register one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

"We didn't get it done," Samuel said. "The Giants did. It is what it is. Life goes on. I'm an Eagle now, and hopefully we can get to a championship."

The hope around here that the Eagles also can

win

a championship.

"Asante is a great player, and he'll make great plays for us," Reid said.