The Philadelphia Eagles and inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks have agreed to terms on a long-term contract extension, as first reported by NFL insider Jay Glazer. The deal is worth $29 million over four years with $16.4 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan. The Eagles have confirmed the signing.
This extension comes as somewhat of a surprise. Earlier this offseason, Kendricks said the Eagles hadn't discussed an extension with him. The linebacker's name had been involved in trade rumors, especially after the team gave a contract extension to DeMeco Ryans.
Then again, on the first day of Eagles 2015 training camp, Chip Kelly explicitly said the team would not be trading Kendricks. Philadelphia's head coach sure wasn't joking around.
The Eagles originally acquired Kendricks in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He's dealt with some injury issues but the past two seasons but he's been a stud for Philadelphia when healthy.
With Kendricks under contract, the Eagles should have a formidable inside linebacker corps for the considerable future. Kendricks figures to be paired with Kiko Alonso for years to come. The team also still has Ryans under contract in the short-term. It will be interesting to see how Philadelphia uses their inside linebackers this season and moving forward.
The couldn't be happier to extend his stay at the #Eagles Nest: http://t.co/QOVghwY8Z7 pic.twitter.com/iwp0IuWeiQ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 24, 2015