LeSean McCoy has an interesting theory why Chip Kelly traded him away from the Eagles

Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy seemed to throw some shade in Chip Kelly's direction earlier this offseason when he suggested the coach made a "panic move" to replace him with DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. Now Philadelphia's all-time leading rusher has some more criticism of Kelly.

In a recent interview with Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, McCoy spoke to Philadelphia media for the first time since he was traded in early March. McCoy shared a theory as to why he's no longer an Eagle:

"I don't think he likes or respects the stars. I'm being honest. I think he likes the fact that it's 'Chip Kelly and the Eagles.' It was 'DeSean Jackson - a high-flying, take-off-the-top-of-the-defense receiver.' Or 'The quick, elusive LeSean McCoy.' I don't think [Kelly] likes that."

While McLane notes that McCoy said he has no animosity towards his former head coach, McLane also notes McCoy has been called by Kelly twice and McCoy has declined to answer his phone.

McCoy seems to be bothered by the surprise nature of the trade. If that's the case, perhaps McCoy should be blaming his new team, not Kelly or the Eagles. Kelly said during a March press conference that it was the Bills who leaked the deal.

I also don't know how accurate McCoy's assessment is. Yes, the team got rid of DeSean Jackson, but that was a complicated situation. When it came to the McCoy trade, it wasn't like the Eagles were just dumping him for nothing. The team got a stud linebacker in Kiko Alonso, along with cap space, in return for McCoy. Kelly then used some of that money to invest in Murray. Is the 2014 NFL leading rusher not a star to some extent, by the way? Kelly tried to re-sign Jeremy Maclin but the Chiefs stole the wide receiver by overpaying him. Kelly drafted Zach Ertz in the second round in 2013, then Jordan Matthews in the second round in 2014 (after wanting to draft him in the first) and then Josh Huff in the third round in 2014 as well. Does Kelly not want those players to be stars after investing significant resources in them?

There are a few reasons McCoy is no longer an Eagle. Money is one of them, especially coming off of a 2014 season where he finished 24th in yards per carry. The fact that the Eagles were able to acquire a player like Alonso is another. McCoy's age and career workload is a significant factor. There's also evidence Kelly wanted a more physical running back than McCoy. All of these are reasonable explanations.

Who knows, there might even be some truth to McCoy's theory. But I hardly see it as the main motivation why he's now a member of the Buffalo Bills.