Sources: Eagles have deal for Peters

The Philadelphia Eagles have worked out an agreement in principle to acquire Buffalo Bills left tackle Jason Peters, according to multiple sources.

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Andy Reid talks with Scott Hanson about the Eagles' new additions and expectations for the coming season.

For Peters, the Bills will receive a first-round pick (the 28th selection in the round), a fourth-rounder in next weekend's draft and an undisclosed pick in 2010, according to a source.

Peters has been asked to fly to Philadelphia on Friday to meet with the Eagles, who have 12 draft choices including two first-round selections. Any trade would be contingent on Peters passing a physical, but it might also require Peters to agree to a contract extension.

The Eagles and Peters' agent, Eugene Parker, were scheduled to open contract talks Friday.

According to an Eagles source, the Eagles would like to have a contract in place before the trade is complete. Because of that, the Eagles might not be able to announce the trade until as late as Sunday.

For more than a year, Peters has been in a contract stalemate with the Bills. He's made two Pro Bowls at left tackle and wants to become one of the highest-paid players at his position -- at an annual salary of possibly more than $11 million.

Peters is scheduled to make $3.375 million for the coming season. Last year he held out of training camp, but the decision did not get him a new contract. Peters is signed through 2010 and can then become a free agent.

A great success story for the Bills, Peters was an undrafted tight end out of Arkansas. The Bills turned him into an offensive lineman and he ended up starting 10 games by his second season. Buffalo eventually turned him into one of the best left tackles in the game.

Sal Paolantonio covers the NFL for ESPN. Tim Graham covers the AFC East for ESPN.com. ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton contributed to this report.

  NOEL DEVINE

Time for Some Devine Justice:

There are many ways to gauge a tailback’s worth: yards, touchdowns, 40 time. With Devine, it’s about buzz. Before the 5'8", 170-pound freshman hit the field for West Virginia this season, his prep highlight reel—full of spinning, zigzagging runs—made him a YouTube phenom and the most talked about Florida recruit since Deion Sanders.

But while the ankle-breakers and killer 4.3 speed dropped the jaws of D1 coaches everywhere, none of it could drown out Devine’s troubled backstory. Both of his parents died of AIDS—his father when Noel was an infant, his mother when he was 11. At 16, Noel saw a friend murdered, and by 17 he was the father of two. A year later, Sanders, of all people, tried to adopt Devine; the bizarre fallout included rumors about his character and gave many recruiters pause. And yet WVU coach Rich Rodriguez says that Devine has been “great” off the field and as advertised on it.

His breakout moment came in September against Maryland, when he burned the Terps with jitterbug moves that left defenders flailing.
He finished the night with 136 yards on five carries. (Yes, five.) For the season, Devine is averaging 9.6 yards per carry on 53 touches while sneaking carries from preseason Heisman candidate Steve Slaton. Whether Slaton, a junior, leaves early for the NFL will impact just how much Devine sees the ball next year, but the little guy is already preparing for a breakout 2008. Devine says he’ll beef up to 190 pounds, to better “take a pounding.” Of ourse, that’s assuming opponents can lay a hand on him.