The Philadelphia Eagles earned plenty of criticism for the trade shipping LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills, but new NFL rumors indicate that the team tried to erase the mistake and bring him back.
The McCoy trade was a hallmark of coach Chip Kelly’s short and maligned tenure with the Eagles, a player-for-player deal that brought injury-prone linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Eagles. It was a trade that largely backfired on the Eagles, as McCoy would remain a top five running back while Alonso had only a short stay in Philadelphia before moving on to the Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles apparently regretted the decision. According to Howie Roseman of the New York Daily News , the Eagles had tried to swing a deal with the Bills that would bring McCoy back to the team’s backfield. Roseman said that the Eagles floated the offer through back channels, offering a package that included wide receiver Jordan Matthews.
While that trade never materialized, the Bills and Eagles did end up completing a deal last year that included Matthews. In the end, the Eagles did not need to make the trade. They did swing a trade with the Miami Dolphins for running back Jay Ajayi, who helped lead the team to a Super Bowl berth.
It is likely the trade is dead now, however. If there were NFL rumors before about the Philadelphia Eagles trying to bring back LeSean McCoy, it may be even more difficult now. McCoy was the centerpiece of an often-struggling Bills offense, and his contributions were one of the biggest factors in the team breaking its 17-year playoff drought this season. The elusive running back has become a fan favorite in Buffalo, and showed love for the fans this week in a piece he wrote for the Players’ Tribune .
Eagles tried to get LeSean McCoy back prior to the 2017 season, per @MMehtaNYDN https://t.co/KzMkfDMdPc pic.twitter.com/8Xo9wAFhgn
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 2, 2018
In the piece, McCoy said that Bills fans were the best he had ever seen and hinted that he wants to finish his career in Buffalo and bring a Super Bowl to the long-suffering city. The Bills have also built a run-heavy offense, so McCoy would likely be a big part of the team’s plans going forward. So it may not be likely that the NFL rumors would again hint at a return to the Eagles.
