Head coach Chip Kelly has been given total roster control this season and has made his first trade. The Eagles will trade pro bowl tail back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo BIlls for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the story.
Filed to ESPN: Bills have notified LB Kiko Alonso he is going to be traded to Philadelphia for RB LeSean McCoy. Trade official next week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2015
Philadelphia recently asked McCoy to take a pay cut. Once LeSean refused, the Eagles began shopping him. There was rumblings around the league that suggested the Eagles offered McCoy and a first round pick to Oakland for the 4th pick in the draft in pursuit of Marcus Mariota. Instead the Eagles have decided to settle on Kiko Alonso who is a player Chip Kelly coached at Oregon from 2009-2012. The move is a currious one considering Alonso currently has a torn ACL. During his rookie season in 2013 Alonso recorded 159 tackles so the talent is there.
For me this trade tells me two things. Number one is we have seen the last of C.J. Spiller in Buffalo. The Jets seem to be an ideal landing spot because of his ties to offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Finally this tells me the Eagles have to be serious about trading up for Marcus Mariota. If Chip Kelly was so aggressive in pursuit of landing his former Oregon linebacker imagine what he is trying to do to land his former quarterback. It’s clear that this is Chip Kelly’s team now and he really doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. The Eagles have been very busy the past few days by releasing Cary Williams and Trent Cole.
The trade can not become official until the new league year starts next Monday. McCoy is due to receive $10.25 million in 2015, while Alonso is owed a base salary of only $745,000.
