For better or worse the Eagles got rid of RB LeSean McCoy. Will they come to regret it?
Former Broncos and Washington star RB Clinton Portis proclaimed that the Buffalo Bills got the better end of the deal in the trade between the Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.
SEE MORE:
BIG TRADE! Buffalo Bills acquire QB Matt Cassel from Minnesota Vikings
BLOCKBUSTER TRADE! Philadelphia Eagles trade RB LeSean McCoy to Buffalo Bills for LB Kiko Alonso
Former Eagles RB LeSean McCoy “frustrated” with trade to Buffalo Bills
In the trade in question, the Bills received former Eagles All-Pro RB LeSean McCoy while the Eagles in return received former Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up LB Kiko Alonso. But as impressed as many people are with Alonso, Portis told NFL AM on Wednesday that he didn’t believe that the Eagles got as good of a return.
“I don’t see Kiko Alonso turning out to be a J.J. Watt or a Ray Lewis, just dominating this conference,” Portis said. “Maybe he does, but I don’t see it. It’ll be hard to do. The Bills really won in this trade and I know for LeSean McCoy, there’s some aggravation in being traded, you feel like you’ve done so much for a city, but you have an opportunity to go to a team that wants you, play for Rex Ryan, a guy you know will run the ball… This is a trade I really don’t understand.”
Ironically, Portis was the subject of a similar trade in 2004 that sent him from Denver to Washington in exchange for CB Champ Bailey. Both players would go on to have exceptional careers with their new teams.
McCoy, who leads the NFL in rushing yards since 2010, led the NFL in rushing yards in 2013 and led the NFL in TDs in 2011. He is a 3-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro selection. He will join a Bills team run by head coach Rex Ryan, whose Ground And Pound philosophy of great running and great defense led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999.
Alonso was one of the elite LBs as a rookie in 2013, recording over 150 tackles and finishing 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting behind DT Sheldon Richardson in 2013. Unfortunately, an ACL tear in 2014 forced him to miss the entire season, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2015 season.
COMMENTS