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http://blogs.nbcsports.com/home/ (PFT rumor mill until PFT.com gets back running again)

EAGLES TELL T.J. TO TAKE A HIKE?

Posted by Mike Florio: Friday, February 27, 2009 8:07 PM

Receiver T.J Houshmandzadeh has said that he'd like to play for the Eagles.

But, as it turns out, the Eagles might not be interested.

According to Derrick Gunn on Comcast SportsNet, the Eagles didn't react kindly to an effort by Houshmandzadeh to dupe the team into thinking that he was offering Philly a discount. After checking around, the Eagles reportedly learned that Houshmandzadeh's agent was actually asking for more money from the Eagles than from other teams.

Per Gunn, the Eagles previously had little interest in Houshmandzadeh. The alleged bait-and-swtich routine ensured that the Eagles won't make a play for him.

Meanwhile, league observers continue to believe that Houshmandzadeh won't strike it as rich as he'd prefer. As Howard Balzer of The Sports Xchange pointed out to me earlier in the day, Houshmandzadeh will be 32 later this year.

To put it bluntly, guys in their 30s rarely get rich in the early days of free agency.

If TJ doesn't get paid, think he'll return?