LeSean McCoy, Bills Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

While he's not yet officially a member of the Buffalo Bills, LeSean McCoy has already agreed to a contract that will keep him in his new home for the foreseeable future. McCoy will sign a five-year, $40 million contract that will pay him $16 million alone in 2015.   

ESPN's Josina Anderson and Adam Schefter reported details on the agreement:

Pro Football Talk broke down the numbers:

McCoy posted on his Instagram account as he headed to Buffalo to make everything official:

McCoy, 26, was traded to the Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso last week. While neither the trade nor McCoy's new contract can become official until the new league year begins March 10, it's an important step for smoothing over what could have started as a rocky relationship.

A source initially told Anderson that McCoy was "frustrated" about the trade to Buffalo.

"He’s a Pennsylvania kid," the source said. "He’s never played football outside of Pennsylvania—high school, college, pro. So of course he's not happy. Sounds like it’s pretty final to me unless LeSean is refusing to go to Buffalo."

McCoy grew up in Harrisburg and played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh before the Eagles selected him No. 53 overall in the 2009 draft. The local kid responded by becoming the leading rusher in Eagles franchise history, compiling 6,792 yards and 44 touchdowns over the last six seasons.

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Chip Kelly's arrival in Philadelphia coincided with the best two-year run of McCoy's career. He led the NFL with 1,607 rushing yards in 2013 and followed it up with 1,319 yards last season. The Eagles went 10-6 in both campaigns—thanks, in large part, to the McCoy-led offense.

That said, there are some underlying numbers that make sense of Kelly's decision to move on. Football Outsiders' DVOA metric ranked McCoy 24th among the NFL's 43 qualifying running backs in 2014. Pro Football Focus' grading system was even less kind, rating him as the third-worst running back in football. His struggles in the passing game were most glaring, as he was by far the lowest-graded qualifying back.

Couple that with an exorbitant salary at an increasingly fungible position, and you can see the logic behind the Eagles getting out while the getting was good.

The Bills not only agreeing to pay McCoy's base salary but also doubling down for the future flies against recent NFL logic. They'll need to have their fingers crossed that McCoy's 2014 downturn was a blip rather than a sign of things to come.  

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