Report: Free agents ‘leery’ of Chip Kelly after LeSean McCoy trade

Chip Kelly has only been an NFL coach for two seasons, and already he has shown that he is not afraid to make difficult decisions when it comes to veteran players. Could that philosophy be hurting the Philadelphia Eagles in courting free agents?

Jason Cole of Bleacher report spoke to several NFL players about Kelly’s surprising decision to trade LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills. The sense he got was that free agents may now be discouraged from signing with the Eagles.

“In talking to players around the league about this move, they were left a little leery of Chip Kelly and asking, ‘What exactly is he doing?'” Cole said Wednesday. “It’s not just LeSean McCoy. He’s let go of Todd Herremans, he’s let go of Cary Williams, he’s let go of Trent Cole. This is a year after letting go of DeSean Jackson.”

Cole had been one of Philly’s best pass-rushers throughout his 11-year career, and he was not shy about expressing his displeasure over the team letting him go.

“You have to wonder if players are going to sit there and say, ‘I’m not sure if I want to play for the Eagles because I’m not sure if Chip Kelly is going to hang onto good players over the long run or value himself in the process,'” Cole added.

Kelly has basically been taking the same approach as Bill Belichick, who has unloaded several of his most popular players over the years if he feels it will help the team. The difference is Belichick has won four Super Bowls, whereas Kelly has yet to win a playoff game.

The NFL is a business. Part of that business is making difficult decisions, but Kelly’s job could be made more difficult if talented players want nothing to do with him.