Eagles' Riq Woolen Responds to Trade Rumors

Several starters for the Philadelphia Eagles have popped up in trade rumors ahead of the NFL trade deadline next month.

One of those players is cornerback Riq Woolen, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency over the offseason. When the Eagles signed Woolen, they expected to be a Super Bowl contender, as they have been for the past few seasons. However, things haven’t worked out that way for the team this season, and they could be looking to make some moves as a result.

Riq Woolen Focusing on Role with Eagles Amid Trade Speculation

Ahead of Philadelphia’s Week 8 matchup with the Washington Commanders, Woolen was asked about popping up in trade talks, and he provided a pretty thorough, thoughtful answer.

“You hear things, but nobody knows the truth. You guys on social media and whatever news outlet, y’all can say a million things, but y’all really wouldn’t know until you get a talk with the GM and you get a talk with your coach,” Woolen said.

“Other than that, you can see me going to any team, or you can hear anything about me going to a team, but to me, that doesn’t matter just because I’m here every day working with these guys.”

Being mentioned in trade rumors is nothing new for Woolen, as the same thing happened to him with the Seattle Seahawks last season. Ultimately, Woolen wasn’t trade away from Seattle, and he went on to help the team win the Super Bowl. The outcome might not be the same this season, but Woolen still plans to keep his focus fully on Philly.

“Even when I was in Seattle last year and my name came up in trade reports, I still had to come to work every day because my brothers need me. They don’t need my mind to be anywhere else. That’s my job here,” Woolen said.

“Me being in Philly, I work my butt off with these guys all offseason, and so I’m going to ride with these guys throughout the season. I mean, whether we’ll be undefeated or we don’t win a game, I work my butt off with them. They work hard as hell too, so I’m going to deal with my feet up and let the chips fall where they may be, but I’m right here in Philly and that’s the place I want to be.”

This is absolutely the right attitude for Woolen to have. He can’t control what happens to him leading up to the trade deadline, but he can control the effort and attitude he brings to the field with the Eagles every day. To this point, it doesn’t sound like he’s letting the outside noise affect him too much.

The trade deadline is now just a couple of weeks away, so Woolen won’t be in limbo regarding his football future for too much longer.