The Philadelphia Eagles have made a lot of big moves since the arrival of head coach Chip Kelly. Over the last 18 months, Kelly has been busy reshaping the roster to his liking, which has meant the exodus of some of the team’s biggest names.
One name that some feared was next was inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was headed into the final year of his contract. Those fears proved unfounded on Monday, as the Eagles agreed to a four-year, $29 million contract extension with Kendricks that includes over $16 million guaranteed, per Albert Breer of NFL.com.
By locking up Kendricks, Kelly is giving us reason to believe in his vision for the team. Kelly is making a statement that just because he’s willing to make big moves doesn’t mean he’s football’s version of Billy Beane—the enigmatic general manager of the Oakland A’s that trades away his biggest names just about every season.
This move proves that perception isn’t reality when it comes to Kelly. Since his arrival, he hasn’t turned over the roster more than others in similar positions have, but he had yet to prove that big-name players would want to stick around. With Kendrick in the fold, there should be fewer reservations about his approach.
Kelly also spoke last month about how virtually every move the team made was contract related. In other words, Kelly didn’t think the players were worth what they were being paid. That was almost certainly the case with wide receiver DeSean Jackson, left guard Evan Mathis and running back LeSean McCoy.
Jackson signed for less with Washington, Mathis is still looking for work and the Eagles signed DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to replace McCoy at a similar price. It’s not unusual for a new regime to have a different view of a player’s value, especially when back-loaded contracts come into play.
“Almost all the maneuvers we made with people going out were because of contracts,” Kelly said, via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. “People making too much money in our opinion of what the evaluation for what the pay for play is.”
According to overthecap.com, Kendricks was set to make just $996,000 in 2015. For one of the top inside linebackers in the league who doesn’t turn 25 until next month, Kelly clearly felt he would be able to get his money’s worth on a new contract.
Pro Football Focus (subscription) gave Kendricks a +19.1 grade in 2014. He was especially effective rushing the passer, as he earned their highest grade (+9.5) at the inside linebacker position. He also finished fourth in coverage at his position with a +9. 5 grade.
Kelly seems to be aware that Kendricks has a unique combination of skills that is well-suited for the pass-happy NFL. While he may have jettisoned assets that were older and expensive, Kelly has now also demonstrated that a younger player can earn a lucrative contract with the team he now controls.
