The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to trade linebacker Mychal Kendricks this offseason and could potentially release him if that doesn’t pan out, per Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.
“According to a source, the Philadelphia Eagles are willing to move on from Mychal Kendricks this offseason, and it is anticipated that teams around the league will have interest in acquiring Kendricks via a trade,” writes Kempski.
Due to count $6.6 million against the cap next season, Kendricks’ value to the Eagles has diminished each year since his second season as a pro in 2013. This past year, he logged just 273 snaps, which is in stark comparison to the 990 and 971 snaps logged by fellow starting linebackers Nigel Bradham and Jordan Hicks, respectively.
The big reason for the drop-off in production this past year is that, when the Eagles went into their nickel packages, Kendricks came off the field. He is a two-down linebacker, especially when compared to Bradham and Hicks, who are much more fluent against the pass.
Kempski notes that another option for the Eagles if they cannot find a trade partner is to designate Kendricks as a “June 1st cut” which would save them $5 million this year but which would also mean they’re on the hook for another $3.2 million in 2018.
Obviously, being able to get rid of his salary while hauling in a draft pick is the ideal scenario here for Philadelphia. Whether that is attainable remains to be seen.