Report: Eagles will release LB Trent Cole after failing to reach new deal
The Philadelphia Eagles will release outside linebacker Trent Cole after Cole and the team were unable to agree on the terms of a revised contract, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan.
Cole, 32, has spent ten years in the NFL, all with the Eagles. In his time with Philadelphia, Cole never played fewer than 14 games in a season.
In 155 career games, he recorded 564 tackles, forced 19 fumbles, one interception and one touchdown. Last season, his second in a 3-4 defensive scheme after spending eight seasons in a 4-3, Cole had 52 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles.
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The two-time Pro Bowler is second in Eagles team history with 85.5 career sacks.
Cole responded to the news on Twitter:
The Eagles picked Cole in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Cole and Philadelphia signed a four-year extension in March 2012 worth $55.25 million with $14.5 million guaranteed. Had Cole returned to the team, the Eagles would have paid him $11.6 million; with his departure, the team will save $8.4 million.
Philadelphia is expected to make the release on Wednesday, less than a week before the official start of the league's free agency, which will begin on Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. ET.
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The Eagles finished last season with a 10-6 record and in second place in the NFC East. The team was 22nd in the league in points allowed and 28th in the league in yards allowed.
- Christopher Woody
