Nick Foles wasn't the only Philadelphia Eagles player spotted at Super Bowl Radio Row on Thursday afternoon. Also in attendance was Eagles running back LeSean McCoy.
Must Reads
Unlike Foles, McCoy hasn't been in involved in trade rumors this offseason. That doesn't mean the 26-year-old's future in Philadelphia is completely clear, however. McCoy's cap number rises to $11,950,000 in 2015, which is the second highest figure for any NFL running back. The Eagles absolutely have the cap space to keep him, but it's worth noting he could be released for a savings of $7,550,000.
The Eagles likely won't be interested in releasing McCoy. That would just create another roster hole to fill. They might, however, want to restructure his contract in order to allow the team more cap space for re-signing players such as Jeremy Maclin (plus Brandon Graham?) and giving extensions to young players such as Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, and so on.
McCoy is aware he might need to restructure his contract. But, to no surprise, he has no interest in taking a straight pay cut.
"I know how hard it is to keep a team together and I want to be part of this team. But I don't want to take less money," McCoy said, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I want to figure a way to make it happen [where] we're all together."
McCoy may have finished with the third most overall rushing yards in 2014 but his efficiency was way down. His 4.1 average yards per attempt ranked 24th in the NFL, among the likes of Alfred Morris, Boobie Dixon, Shane Vereen, and Giovani Bernard.
While it's true that McCoy was negatively impacted by injuries to the Eagles' offensive line, he also failed to make defenders miss. McCoy averaged 2.09 yards after first contact last year. That's a career worst for him. The previous low was 2.10 in his rookie season.
Must Reads
He wasn't nearly as elusive as he's been in the past. McCoy finished 15th out of 18 running backs (minimum 50% snaps) in Pro Football Focus's "Elusive Rating", which boils down a runner's success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers. McCoy's Elusive Rating was much higher in seasons past: sixth in 2013, sixth in 2012, seventh in 2011. PFF graded McCoy 55th out of 57 running backs that played a minimum of 25% offensive snaps in 2014.
It will be interesting to see how the McCoy situation plays out. The team will have to find a way to make things work for both sides. Head caoch Chip Kelly said he wants McCoy back for 2015.