NFL Rumors: Philadelphia Eagles Trying To Fix Chip Kelly Mistakes

NFL rumors swirled constantly around the Philadelphia Eagles during the final season of Chip Kelly. They’re continuing to swirl this season, as the team looks to clear out some of the mistakes that the former Oregon Ducks head coach made during his tenure. According to NFL, the Eagles are close to a deal with the Miami Dolphins that will enable Philadelphia to rid themselves of Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso.

Byron Maxwell was a member of the Legion of Boom, the hard hitting secondary that helped the Seattle Seahawks make two Super Bowl appearances in a row. Playing alongside great players like Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Earl Thomas does wonders for your name value. Other NFL teams convince themselves that you can help them out. That’s a big reason why Chip Kelly handed Maxwell a $63 million contract to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Though Byron Maxwell hasn’t been completely awful, he didn’t play anywhere near as good as a corner back that is being paid more than $10 million a season. For that amount, you want someone to be able to lock down one side of the field so that the quarterback becomes much more predictable. Maxwell certainly was considered a huge personnel hiring mistake by Chip Kelly, who ousted Howie Roseman from the Philadelphia Eagles general manager position last season.

As far as Kiko Alsonso is concerned, Philadelphia Eagles fans will forever remember him as being the player that was involved in the deal that sent talented running back LeSean McCoy away to the Buffalo Bills. Chip Kelly reportedly did not get along with McCoy, so he got rid of the Pro Bowl runner, much to the chagrin of the fan base because he was a fan favorite. LeSean received a $40 million contract extension from the Buffalo Bills, so you can see how valuable he is to NFL teams.

Kiko Alonso is a talented player. He just had trouble recovering from a devastating torn ACL. Since he was never able to do well for the Philadelphia Eagles, fans will not have fond memories of the linebacker. Chip Kelly is now a hated man in the City of Brotherly Love because he is no longer the Eagles head coach, and since Alonso played for him with the Oregon Ducks, Kiko is considered guilty by association.

The Miami Dolphins are in need of a talent infusion on the defensive side of the ball. Despite signing Ndamukong Suh from the Detroit Lions to a massive contract, the Dolphins only finished 18th on defense. Management was expecting something much better than that when the season started. Knowing that the Philadelphia Eagles wanted to get rid of Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, Miami decided to pounce on the opportunity, especially since it’s only costing them lower round draft picks.

There’s a chance that Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso can upgrade the defense for new Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase. Maxwell is capable of being a starter in the NFL, and he becomes a bit more valuable once his contract is restructured. Alonso can be a disruptive force from the linebacker position if his knee holds up. Many still believe that Kiko has the potential to be a Pro Bowl player some day.

By firing Chip Kelly and hiring Doug Pederson, the Philadelphia Eagles started a new era. Now, they’re trying to make it a completely different era by getting rid of Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, guys that were acquired by Kelly. The belief is that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, two other guys acquired by Chip, are on their way out the door as well.

[Featured Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]