The Philadelphia Eagles have traded for Buffalo Bills' Pro-Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters, the team confirmed Friday night.
The deal cost the Eagles one of their No. 1 picks (No. 28 overall), a fourth-round pick (No. 121 overall) in next week's NFL Draft and an unknown late-round draft pick in 2010, according to the Eagles. They also renegotiated Peters contract to keep him with the Birds until 2014.
Peters was in Philadelphia to meet the Eagles on Friday, reported NBC Philadelphia's John Clark.
Peters, 27, is widely considered one of the best offensive tackles in football and certainly upgrades the Eagles line as a whole especially after the loss of Tra Thomas and most-likely Jon Runyan. He would at least add a good amount of meat -- at 6-foot, four-inches tall and 340 pounds he is a wide but mobile lineman.
Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid loves the big guy. “Jason Peters is the best left tackle in football,” he said.
But, why would Buffalo let go of a big, young lineman who could be entering the prime of his career?
Money.
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
Peters wanted to be the top-paid player at his position. He held out of training camp last season in a hope to get more money out of the Bills -- anyone with knowledge of the NFL knows that the Bills aren't a team that often opens up their wallet to pony up more cash.
The Eagles ponied up the money Peters wanted.
The Birds extended Peters deal to six years at $60 million, sources told ESPN. He is now one of the top-paid offensive tackles in football getting on average $10 million a season.
The Eagles had about $40 million to burn this season so they had the cash to pay Peters which certainly played into this deal getting done.
Follow this story and more on NBC Philadelphia's Twitter page.
