Bleacher Report: 10 Worst NFL Deals of Last Decade Includes Two Eagles
The Eagles have since won a Super Bowl, helping Eagles fans forget much of the Chip Kelly era.
After Kelly was dismissed following the 2015 season, the team was tasked with finding a new head coach and did so with Doug Pederson taking over, and winning a Super Bowl during the 2017 season.
But there are things some people remember about the Kelly era, and most of its bad.
The Eagles signed running back DeMarco Murray to a five-year, $42 million contract, Murray lasted one season with the Eagles before he was traded on March 9, 2016. He was traded to the Tennessee Titans along with the Eagles' 2016 fourth round draft pick, in exchange for the Titans' 2016 fourth round draft pick.
The deal was ranked by Bleacher Report’s Tyler Brooke as the seventh-worst deal of the last decade.
The days of paying running backs big-time money seem to be fading away as the likes of Le'Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon III have had to heavily leverage their positions to get paid. Just a few years ago, it was a lot easier for players like DeMarco Murray to secure big paydays.
After a strong start to his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, Murray was able to secure a five-year, $42 million contract with the NFC East rival Eagles. The dynamic running back was coming off a career year with Dallas in 2014, leading the league with 1,845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
The combination of a heavy workload in Dallas and a poor offensive scheme fit under head coach Chip Kelly led to a disappointing season in Philly. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and never seemed to play like he did with the Cowboys.
Ultimately, the Eagles and Murray couldn't make it work. After just one season, Philadelphia traded him to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a swap of fourth-round picks.
Murray went on to have a strong bounceback season with the Titans on his way to another Pro Bowl in 2016, but the original contract was an aggressive one for the Eagles to take on.
Murray played one season, with the Eagles in 2015, finishing the year with 702 rushing yards, and only two touchdowns, his lowest output since 2012.
He was traded to Tennessee, where he played two seasons with the Titans.
The deal for Murray was applauded at the time, after the team traded LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, but was risky due to his workload, the previous season in Dallas when he racked up 392 carries.
The season prior to joining the Eagles, Murray played in 16 games with the Cowboys and threw 13 touchdowns and ran for an NFL high 1,845 yards.
Another deal the Eagles signed made the list, checking in as the third-worst contract signed in the decade.
The Eagles gave cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha a five-year, $60 million deal, after three straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections with the Raiders.
Asomugha was eventually released by the team at the end of the 2012 season.
The 2011 offseason was an exciting one for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles. However, big-time free-agent signings like Nnamdi Asomugha didn't exactly pan out.
Asomugha was one of many acquisitions the Eagles made that offseason, leading newly acquired quarterback Vince Young to call them the "dream team". He was given a five-year, $60 million deal during that high-spending offseason after a dominant run for the Oakland Raiders in which he was arguably the best lockdown corner in the league.
Coming off three straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, the expectations for Asomugha were incredibly high. Unfortunately, the veteran cornerback had just turned 30 years old that summer, and the scheme fit under new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo (previously the team's offensive line coach) kept him from reaching his full potential in Philadelphia.
The "dream team" didn't even make the playoffs that year, starting the year 4-8 and then winning four straight in hopes of pulling out a miracle postseason appearance. Asomugha struggled to find his footing throughout his time with the Eagles and was ultimately released after just two seasons with the team.
Although he couldn't live up to such a hefty contract in Philadelphia, the cornerback was able to retire on a one-day contract with the Raiders and is still remembered as one of the best defensive backs in team history.
Former Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford's deal with the Cardinals also made the list as the fourth-worst deal of the decade.