Unable To Land Moss, Iggles Turn Focus To Fitz

Randy Moss was almost an Eagle.

That is the report according to former Eagles, and 610WIP host Gary Cobb. On his website GCobb.com, G says that Andy Reid spoke to Randy Moss for over an hour Monday. G goes on to say that Moss was not very thrilled about the Patriots contract offer, and he wanted to see if another team would possibly top it. Apparently the Eagles offered a million more per season, but it was not enough to lure the big time receiver. Moss turned the Birds’ deal down, and as we all know he re-signed with New England.

Even though it is disappointing to lose a battle for a big time free agent, it is very encouraging to hear that the Eagles were trying to pursue a star receiver. For years Andy Reid had told the fans that his terrible group of receivers(Todd Pinkston, James Thrash, and Freddie Mitchell) were “fine”. Then when they finally got a great receiver(Terrell Owens), it ends up blowing up in the Eagles face. Many felt the front office would never again try to bring in another “trouble maker” to the team. That makes this Moss news shocking, and very exciting. It shows that the Eagles finally get it, and are trying to do everything they can to get this team back to the Super Bowl.

With Moss out of the picture where will the Iggles turn? According to Micah Warren, they have their eyes set on Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. There had been a ton of rumors about a possible trade between the Eagles and Cards, but I figured they were just rumors and would die soon enough. Well this one just will not go away, and Micah Warren says that the Eagles have already made an official offer of Lito Sheppard, and a 2nd round pick for Fitzgerald. Warren says that the Cards asking price is much higher(probably a first round pick and Sheppard), and they turned it down.

Cardinals’ officials have publicly stated they are keeping Fitz no matter what,a nd have no interest in dealing him. They are in a tough situation, because of Fitzgerald’s current contract. He is due to count $16 Million against their cap this year, and $18 Million next year. Those are unheard of numbers for any player in the NFL, and the Cardinals are trying desperately to reach an agreement on a contract extension to lower those numbers. If they are unable to do so, they might come down on that hard stance, and the high trade demand. If so Warren points out that the Eagles are the only team willing to deal a premier CB.

Larry Fitzgerald would be an even bigger catch than Randy Moss for several reasons. The obvious one is that Fitz(24) is much younger than Moss(30).  The second thing you like more about Fitz, is he is a much more physical receiver than Moss is. While Moss may produce more overall, Fitzgerald would fit in the west coast offense better, because of his ability to work the middle of the field. Last but not least, Fitzgerald is just a great character guy. While Randy Moss comes with more baggage than an Airline, Fitzgerald is a model citizen off the field, and a leader on the field. There would be no worries with Fitz of having another “TO meltdown”.

We’ll see how this all plays out soon enough. The Eagles are keeping an eye on the situation, and so should you. The longer there is no new deal in place for Fitz the better. If this gets ugly, it could drag on till April’s draft.  Then you may have the dream of a star receiver become a reality.

>>My Moss/Eagles Weekend Ordeal (GCobb)

>>Larry Fitzgerald Update (GCobb)

UPDATE: Forget about Fitz

The Cardinals managed to work out an extension with Fitzgerald. The dream has just been shattered.

>>BREAKING NEWS: Fitzgerald Signs Contract (Raising Zona)