Detroit Lions willing to watch Asante Samuel join Atlanta Falcons
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 9:14 AM Updated: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 9:22 AM
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View full sizeThe Atlanta Falcons are close to pulling off a trade for Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel.Detroit Lions fans hoping their team would pull off a trade for Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel may need to focus on this year's draft instead.
According to several reports, the Atlanta Falcons are close to pulling off a trade for Samuel. NFL Network reporter Jason La Canfora said the trade would involve a late-round pick, plus Samuel reworking the final two years of his deal.
Samuel, 31, has two years left on his contract -- $10 million, counting a $100,000 offseason workout bonus this season, and $11.5 million, counting the $100,000 workout bonus in 2013. If Samuel reworks the deal, some of that money will shift into achievable bonuses.
With Samuel no longer part of the equation, Detroit will remain focused on this year's NFL Draft.
Detroit lost cornerback Eric Wright in free agency and is looking for his replacement. The Lions could select a cornerback in this year's draft (Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins or Stephon Gilmore) or continue the development of Aaron Berry and Alphonso Smith.
If Detroit does not select a cornerback in the first-round, Montana's Trumaine Johnson, Central Florida's Josh Robinson, Georgia's Brandon Boykin, Virgina Tech's Jayron Hosley, Vanderbilt's Casey Hayward and Coastal Carolina's Josh Norman should be available in later rounds.
