Remember when Chip Kelly traded the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher for Kiko Alonso?

We all tried to talk ourselves into it back then. Shady “wasn’t getting younger” and was owed a bunch of money and blah blah. We believed in Chip because he started his Eagles tenure with two ten-win seasons, and we felt like the future was in relatively good hands. Then he went bonkers shipping out good players and got the boot after year number three.

LeSean McCoy retired as a Bird today, a ceremonial thing coupled with a press conference. During the presser, he talked about the one regret he has:

“The only regret I truly have is not being an Eagle in my prime. At the time, when I got traded, I felt like I was one of the top (Eagles), maybe second guy, other than Jason Peters. Larry Fitzgerald and I were really tight, obviously the Pitt connection, and when you look at the Arizona Cardinals, obviously he’s gonna be a name that sticks to that franchise. In the short time I was here, you kind of feel like that (with me), but I think if I was here for three more years, around that 10th year, that’s something I would have had with this franchise. 

I was still hot when we departed, and that’s one thing I regret, that I always should have been an Eagle for my career, and the majority of my prime years. You look at other players who were traded or left, and were they not as productive or older, you can live with that. But I feel like in my prime I should have been an Eagle.” 

Hard to argue that. LeSean is the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher and set a lot of records here, but he would have built upon those to the point where they’d be unbreakable, had he not been shipped off to Buffalo.

Shady also said that he could have continued his career but didn’t think the offers he got were right. He would have been open to playing for the Eagles but he’s “happy and content” and “had a good run.” His kids are getting older and he knew it “was time,” even though he could have tried to boost his numbers on a non-contender. He’s gonna get into the real estate business following retirement.

I don’t know if Shady makes it into the Hall of Fame, but this is his best argument right here: