Should the Eagles Consider Trading LeSean McCoy in 2015 Offseason?

The Philadelphia Eagles trading LeSean McCoy started as a work of fiction. Back in October, Greg Garber for ESPN.com suggested the Birds package the All-Pro running back and outside linebacker Brandon Graham with second- and fifth-round picks to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for their first-round selection in 2015—No. 4 overall, as it turns out.

That trade proposal, of course, is ridiculous on many levels. However, it seemed to foster the very idea that moving a three-time Pro Bowler such as McCoy ultimately could benefit the Eagles, particularly with draft position, as well as in regard to the salary cap.

Should McCoy be dealt? As Chip Kelly himself pointed out, the answer really depends on the return.

YR	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
2014	312	1,319	4.2	5
2013	314	1,609	5.1	9
2012	200	840	4.2	2

The head coach, who also just happens to boast full control over personnel decisions, was asked about his star rusher’s future after Philadelphia’s season concluded in December. In the press conference carried on the team’s web site, Kelly admitted he wants McCoy back, but with the caveat that some offers are just too good to refuse.

“What if someone gives us 17 first-round draft picks for LeSean?” Kelly said. “Should I say, ‘No, I made a statement on a radio show at 8:00 o'clock in the morning after the game and said that I want LeSean back, so I'm not going to do that?’ We’ll look at everything.”

Naturally, teams are unlikely to send 17 first-round picks for McCoy. For that matter, they’re probably equally unlikely to accept him as one of the key pieces in a deal to jump into one of the top picks in the draft, say, to draft quarterback Marcus Mariota out of Oregon.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Folks, McCoy simply doesn’t have that kind of value to a rebuilding franchise. Sure, he’s a three-time Pro Bowler and the all-time leading rusher in Eagles franchise history, but he’s also about to turn 27 and has endured plenty of wear and tear over his six seasons in the NFL.

By the time a rebuilding team choosing toward the top of the draft gets good enough to make full use of a weapon of McCoy’s caliber, he will more than likely be out of his prime. Who is going to drop out of the top five all the way down to No. 20 for an aging player at the most replaceable position in pro football?

Then there’s the matter of McCoy’s contract. Not only will a bad team have little interest in paying a cap hit that approaches $12 million in 2015, according to Spotrac, but there’s evidence the Eagles may not want to, either.

At least part of the reason the Birds were willing to part ways with DeSean Jackson last offseason was the wide receiver’s cap figure growing to in excess of $12 million in ‘14. Jackson was 27, a three-time Pro Bowler and coming off of a career year, yet he would be straight-up released by the organization.

YR	TOUCHES	YDS	TD	FL
2014	340	1,474	5	3
2013	366	2,146	11	1
2012	254	1,213	5	3

Make no mistake, McCoy got the message loud and clear. Fortunately, he seems willing to renegotiate his contract should the team ask, based on what the 2013 rushing champion told Zach Berman for The Philadelphia Inquirer in December.

“We'll see what happens,” McCoy said. “It's a business. Anything can happen; I know that. But I'm sure we can work something out. And hopefully, everything does work out.”

So McCoy is seemingly willing to work something out with his contract, and teams are unlikely to send 17 first-round picks for his services, let alone accept the back in an unprecedented move up the draft board. What are the Eagles to do?

Probably just hang on to McCoy.

As Kelly said, a team may be willing to knock the Eagles’ socks off. However, that probably means a mid-level first-round pick headlining the package, not some preposterous vault into the No. 1 selection. And even then, that’s presuming said trade partner can work out a new deal with McCoy.

If McCoy is willing to redo his deal, why wouldn’t it be with the Eagles? After all, he just became the franchise’s leading rusher this past season after just six seasons in the league. It took Wilbert Montgomery eight to set the original mark.

McCoy is a special back who’s writing a lot of history with the team, and if the offensive line issues are fixed in 2015, he figures to continue as one of the most productive runners in the NFL. You have to work hard to find reasons to get rid of him.