Chip Kelly extended an olive branch. LeSean McCoy left it hanging.
Kelly told reporters Wednesday that he’d love to shake McCoy’s hand Sunday when the Buffalo Bills running back returns to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since the Philadelphia Eagles traded him in March. McCoy angrily declined the invitation despite insisting he doesn’t hold a grudge against the Eagles head coach, who also effectively serves as Philadelphia’s general manager.
“Listen, man, Chip can’t shake (expletive) at all. Nothing. He knows this,” McCoy told reporters Wednesday in Orchard Park, N.Y. “That’s why (he) said it. I know him. He’s very intelligent. I can read between the lines. Like I said, I have nothing against him, no hatred. We’re not enemies. I won’t say anything wrong to him. But there’s nothing for us to talk about, at all. Simple as that.”
The Eagles’ decision to trade McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso was surprising. McCoy, who spent his first six seasons with the Eagles, became Philadelphia’s all-time leading rusher last season amid his fourth campaign of at least 1,000 rushing yards. The three-time Pro Bowl pick totaled a career-high 2,146 yards from scrimmage — 1,607 rushing, 539 receiving — during the 2013 season.
Kelly and the Eagles apparently wanted to move on, though. They signed running back DeMarco Murray to a five-year, $40 million contract shortly after trading McCoy. And while Kelly said Wednesday he tried to call McCoy after trading him to Buffalo, the Bills running back insists he never received an explanation for the Eagles’ decision and hasn’t spoken to his former coach, which is unlikely to change anytime soon.
“Man, listen. I’m not talking to Chip. We got nothing to talk about,” McCoy told reporters. “He can’t call me. He can’t shake my hand. There’s nothing he can do with me. He can’t say (expletive) to me. It’s as simple as that.
“I don’t dislike him. I don’t have nothing against him. But there’s nothing for us to talk about. And he knows that, he knows me, he knows how I act. There’s nothing he can tell me. There’s nothing he can talk about.”
Kelly certainly can try to seek out McCoy this Sunday and offer his hand in peace. If McCoy’s comments are any indication, however, it’ll likely be an incredibly awkward encounter.
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
