Reports out of Philadelphia are suggesting that the Eagles may be taking a look at free agent cornerback Asante Samuel. Supposedly, the team was considering making a run at Seattle corner Marcus Trufant, but the Seahawks slapped him with the franchise tag. The other high-end corner, Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha, was also hit with the tag, making Samuel the lone elite corner on the open market.

This means that there will likely be some high-stakes bidding for his services, which also means that Samuel may get what he wants; a 10-year contract worth about $100 million (about $30 million guaranteed). The Eagles would certainly have to shell out a pretty penny to acquire Samuel, and indications are that the Philadelphia brass just may be willing to do that.

If any team is going to pay that amount to snag a defensive back in free agency, there is a good chance that it will be the Eagles. Their secondary is aging, especially when you look at safety Brian Dawkins and the injury-riddled veteran Lito Sheppard. Both have had injury concerns over the past couple seasons, and they are certainly not in their prime anymore.

However, a player of Samuel’s caliber can change any secondary from mediocre to good in a heartbeat. His sixteen picks over the past two seasons are an indication of that, and he also is solid in coverage. He may not be Champ Bailey or Al Harris when it comes to man coverage, but there aren’t that mant true shutdown corners in the league anymore. Samuel is a solid corner who is intelligent and, for the most part, takes risks that pay off.

But does he deserve the $100 million? The one concern is that he is a system player, succeeding in the Bill Belichick defense that is tailored to his strengths. That is how Belichick drafts anyway. He goes for players that are good fit for his system, not the best overall athlete. That factor certainly comes into play here. Samuel has never played for another team. He has never worked in another system. Bill Belichick drafted Samuel because the corner is a good fit for the Patriots’ defensive scheme. All teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, should be wary of this fact when they consider throwing this kind of money around.

That being said, Samuel is still a corner that will have success, just maybe not at the level he has been playing at the past two seasons. He can certainly raise the level of Philly’s secondary, but they would be cautious when committing this kind of contract to one player.