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  • #1

    Trotter returning to Phily

    Trotter agrees to one-year deal with Eagles

    PHILADELPHIA - Former Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter returned to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year contract.

    Trotter's deal, believed to be worth less than $1 million, is contingent upon his passing a physical on Thursday.

    Trotter, 27, spent the last two seasons with the Washington Redskins after playing four years for the Eagles and making the Pro Bowl twice. He left Philadelphia following a bitter contract dispute in 2002, but never lived up to the seven-year, $35 million contract he received from the Redskins.

    Trotter's role is uncertain. Mark Simoneau is listed as Philadelphia's starting middle linebacker, with Dhani Jones and Nate Wayne at the other two starting spots.

    Trotter led Washington with 129 tackles in 16 games last season. He had 104 tackles in 12 games in 2002, before going down with a knee injury.

    Trotter has 774 tackles, 10{ sacks and four forced fumbles in his six-year career.

    A third-round draft choice from Stephen F. Austin in 1998, Trotter established himself as one of the premier middle linebackers in the NFL during his time in Philadelphia, going to the Pro Bowl in 2000 and 2001.

    He led the Eagles in tackles from 1999-2001, including a career-best 202 in his first season as a starter in 1999. Trotter strongly protested being designated Philadelphia's franchise player after the 2001 season, and signed with the Redskins soon after the Eagles removed the tag, making him an unrestricted free agent.

    The Eagles, runners-up in the NFC championship the last three years, have had a busy offseason, acquiring four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens, signing three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jevon Kearse and Jones.

    They also have lost cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor and running back Duce Staley to free agency.
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  • #2
    Re: Trotter returning to Phily

    In my opinion, this is certainly not good news for us. This is a long, long way down from the 3.5 million or so per year that he originally wanted. I agree with those who believe trotter is somewhat overated, but for one year one million dollars, how can you possibly go wrong. He adds quality vet depth if nothing else and this is bound to help them on special teams. I dont mind them paying through the nose for kearse, but when the eagles or seahawks pick up good players on the cheap, that hurts our chances.

    ramming speed to all

    general counsel

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Trotter returning to Phily

      Originally posted by general counsel
      In my opinion, this is certainly not good news for us. This is a long, long way down from the 3.5 million or so per year that he originally wanted. I agree with those who believe trotter is somewhat overated, but for one year one million dollars, how can you possibly go wrong. He adds quality vet depth if nothing else and this is bound to help them on special teams. I dont mind them paying through the nose for kearse, but when the eagles or seahawks pick up good players on the cheap, that hurts our chances.

      ramming speed to all

      general counsel

      I argued on the other board that acquiring him was worth the expense considering last year's stats surpassed the Rams' LB corps. The salary cap was waved as an excuse for inactivity again. But when the pedal hit the metal ... $1M??? is all it took to add solid depth ??? Just another missed FO opportunity in my mind ...

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Trotter returning to Phily

        There is no way to know that the front office wouldnt have signed him, we have no way of knowing if we even had a chance. I agree adarian that he was a steal for the kind of money he got, but it was his choice to go to philly.

        It would be very interesting to know if we had any knowledge that this was the kind of money he wanted. If we knew it, and didnt try to act on it, i agree with you we should have made a push to try and get him

        general counsel

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Trotter returning to Phily

          The eagles have had a great offseason. Granted there are a couple of big "ifs" attached, for example: IF Kearse stays healthy, IF Owens doesn't prove to be a disaster to team chemistry, etc. However, they have addressed three weak areas this offseason. I wouldn't be shocked to see Simoneau move to one of the outside spots with Trotter in the middle, leaving Jones and Wayne to battle it out for the last spot, assuming that Trotter's knees are fine. Trotter obviously knows J. Johnson's system and despite not living up to the expectations (or the Ray Lewis money that he once wanted)he still put up decent numbers behind a terrible D-line in Washington. One might even argue that Tortter was a product of Johnson's system, which could be good news for Philly fans.

          Adarian, I don't recall seeing any open letters to the rams FO regarding Trotter. You've lost a step.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Trotter returning to Phily

            Originally posted by radjohns
            Adarian, I don't recall seeing any open letters to the rams FO regarding Trotter. You've lost a step.

            A step, my mind, the chair ... it all seems to be going ... . I'm at the point that hearing me yell out loud again only makes my head hurt worse.

            I'm resigned to disagreeing with how sMartz/the FO have tackled issues since sMartz has gained control. I haven't seen much point in revisiting the same issues with the same counterpoints. I'm the typical I-know-better-than-management-fan. Seau didn't turn out too healthy last year, but I have never changed my mind that LB play was the crux of the D weakness. To me it still is ... despite whether DLmen tie up blockers, yah-da, yah-da.

            So beating that horse again was just too boring to do over. Maybe when the season starts and all the hopes of 2nd year players and aspiring FAs and new D schemes show promise or failure maybe that will stir some rancor.

            Until then I suspect the dog will just keep running off with my helmet so the wife can keep getting in those head slaps with effect. Now that I think about it, maybe that accounts for the loss ...

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Trotter returning to Phily

              It's definitely a good signing for the Eagles. More than likely there will be an injury for him to come in and put some time in. Plus, he knows the system already. I think we probably could have used him, but I don't know how much we could afford, we've been tight under the cap recently.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Trotter returning to Phily

                Originally posted by general counsel
                I agree with those who believe trotter is somewhat overated, but for one year one million dollars, how can you possibly go wrong.
                We went wrong with one year one million dollars for Jason Sehorn. Let's hope the Eagles get the same bang for their buck.


                Originally posted by adarian_too
                But when the pedal hit the metal ... $1M??? is all it took to add solid depth ??? Just another missed FO opportunity in my mind ...
                That's what it took for the Eagles. There's no telling if Trotter would have accepted that kind of money from St. Louis to be a back-up/special teams player, which is what he would have been on the Rams.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Trotter returning to Phily

                  Nick, sehorn was not 27 years old coming off a season with 116 tackles. Also, i supported the sehorn signing and wont second guess after the fact despite what ultimately happened. Sehorn broke his foot in preseason and was never quite right. That was not foreseable.

                  general counsel

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Trotter returning to Phily

                    Originally posted by general counsel
                    Nick, sehorn was not 27 years old coming off a season with 116 tackles. Also, i supported the sehorn signing and wont second guess after the fact despite what ultimately happened. Sehorn broke his foot in preseason and was never quite right. That was not foreseable.

                    general counsel
                    I know, just givin' ya crap. :tongue:

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Trotter returning to Phily

                      I thought from Day 1 the Sehorn signing was insane. But, I think Trotter should be great.

                      Comment

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                      • DJRamFan
                        Dumped by Jags, DE Douglas happily rejoins Eagles
                        by DJRamFan
                        Aug. 30, 2004
                        SportsLine.com wire reports

                        PHILADELPHIA -- Defensive end Hugh Douglas is returning to Philadelphia after a one-year hiatus.

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                        Douglas agreed to a one-year contract for just under $1 million on Monday, the same day he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Incentives could make the deal worth as much as $3.4 million, said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

                        "Hugh desperately wanted to come back to Philadelphia," Rosenhaus said.

                        "He didn't want to waste any time. He's looking forward to getting back to the fans he loves so much."

                        The Eagles, who confirmed the signing late Monday, lost starting defensive end N.D. Kalu to a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago and Rosenhaus said Douglas hopes to fill that void.

                        "With the injury to N.D. Kalu, he's got a great opportunity to fill a hole," Rosenhaus said.


                        Hugh Douglas and the Eagles are happy to renew their vows.(Getty Images)
                        In his last season with the Eagles, Douglas collected 12 1/2 sacks, then parlayed that into a five-year, $27 million free-agent contract with the Jaguars that included a $6 million signing bonus. But things didn't work out in Jacksonville, and Douglas was cut after getting just 31 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks last year.

                        During his time in Philadelphia, Douglas anchored one of the league's top defenses, and the Eagles hope he can provide stability and depth this time around.

                        He is the second former Pro Bowler to return to the team this season. Jeremiah Trotter, who left the team to sign a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins after the 2001 season, re-signed with the team following his release this offseason.

                        Rosenhaus said Douglas is excited about the opportunity to return to Philadelphia and play with old friends and new additions, particularly defensive end Jevon Kearse, who signed as a free agent in the offseason.

                        "He knows he's going to have some great guys to play with," Rosenhaus said. "He's going to make some new friends and see some old friends."

                        Team spokesman Derrick Boyko said Douglas will be welcomed back to the locker room with open arms.

                        "The locker room was buzzing today with the anticipation of getting him back," Boyko said.

                        Rosenhaus said Douglas will fly to Philadelphia on Tuesday to sign the contract.


                        AP NEWS
                        The Associated Press News Service

                        Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
                        -08-31-2004, 01:22 PM
                      • Nick
                        To those who want Trotter in St. Louis next season...
                        by Nick
                        Trotter: I plan on being back
                        Tuesday, February 08, 2005
                        By MARK ECKEL
                        Staff Writer

                        PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Jeremiah Trotter smiled that big grin he flashes when he knows something you don't know.

                        Trotter, whose one-year contract with the Eagles expires March 1, was talking about that impending free agency, when he grinned the grin.

                        "Let me just say it like this," he said. "I plan on being back here. I'm very confident I'll be back."

                        Trotter and the Eagles broke up once and it was ugly.

                        Somehow, some way through the grace of the NFL, they got back together again this year and it was good, for both of them.

                        If they don't keep this together this time, they're both crazy.

                        Trotter is the perfect middle linebacker for coordinator Jim Johnson's defense, and Johnson's defense is the perfect system for Trotter.

                        Now if that little issue called money can be worked out, then you can expect an announcement of a new deal in the next couple of weeks.

                        "They have had some talks with my agent," Trotter of Jim Sexton, who was in Jacksonville this week for the Super Bowl. "I really haven't thought about it much. I'm still in a whirlwind from the season. I'm going to go to the Pro Bowl, bring my family to Hawaii for a week, relax and when I get back hopefully we'll get started with it then."

                        Trotter left for money the first time when Washington gave him a $7 million signing bonus that nearly doubled what the Eagles had offered.

                        He came back for the worst possible deal a player could get, then again it was the only offer he got. He signed a one-year deal, with no signing bonus at all for the minimum of $535,000 and signed an injury waiver that if he re-injured his knee, the team was not responsible.

                        So they both kind of owe each other a little bit.

                        The Eagles have room under the cap. Trotter wants to stay here and does not have to break the bank to do it. He just wants fair market value for a player of his stature.

                        "There's no reason it can't get done," said one of the Eagles assistant coaches. "We know he wants to be here, and he knows we want him here. I don't see any problems."

                        There really shouldn't be.

                        "Like I said, I'm confident," Trotter said. "I think the Eagles organization wants me. Coach Reid said he wants me. Coach Johnson said he wants me. I'd love to retire as an Eagle. I'm comfortable here. So when you factor all of that in, I think it should work out."

                        -- -- --

                        Trotter is one of 13 key unrestricted free agents to be on the Eagles.

                        He also campaigned for his buddy, backup linebacker Keith Adams, who may be testing the market in a couple of weeks.
                        ...
                        -02-08-2005, 06:04 PM
                      • Curly Horns
                        Ex-'franchise' player Trotter looking for work
                        by Curly Horns
                        By Len Pasquarelli
                        ESPN.com

                        Living proof that the tumble from the NFL penthouse to life in limbo can indeed be a sudden plummet, Jeremiah Trotter has needed only two years to view unemployment through disparate angles of the free agency spectrum.

                        For a brief time in the spring of 2002, the six-year veteran middle linebacker was tagged with a franchise label. On Wednesday afternoon, Trotter was released by the Washington Redskins and branded a so-called street free agent. There are no more polar statuses in free agency than those two categories.

                        Despite being just 27 years old, and having played in two Pro Bowl games, the future for Trotter is decidedly undecided.

                        Trotter was one of three veterans unceremoniously released by the Redskins, joining tailback Trung Canidate and guard Dave Fiore, as the club moved to create some salary cap space. The moves will save Washington just shy of $5 million against the 2004 spending limit.

                        Having battled knee problems for the past several years and missed 13 games in 2003 because of injuries, Fiore was contemplating retirement even before his release. Canidate, a former first-round choice of the St. Louis Rams and acquired by the Redskins via trade last spring, likely will find a backup job before training camps begin.

                        Trotter, though, is the most compelling of the trio lopped by the Redskins, and perhaps the most curious as well. With his credentials and age, and the fact most other post-June 1 salary-cap casualties are either too old or too suspect to make a difference, Trotter ought to be among the top targets among the newest additions to the free agent pool.

                        Instead, according to league sources, he might not have as many options as anticipated.

                        There could be a solid market for his services, with the New York Giants rumored to be interested in adding him to plug their existing hole at middle linebacker, but any club that considers Trotter will likely conduct a round of due diligence before making a contract proposal. The primary area of concern is probably Trotter's knees, and the second the fall-off in his productivity.

                        The six-year veteran started all 16 games in 2003, and led the Redskins in tackles (129), but still wasn't the game-altering type of playmaker he had been earlier in his career.

                        A third-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1998 draft, Trotter earned Pro Bowl invitations in two of his first three seasons as a starter, and was tagged a franchise player in the spring of 2002. But when contract negotiations drew dicey, Eagles officials opted to rescind the franchise marker, making Trotter an unrestricted free agent. The Redskins quickly signed him to a seven-year, $36.5 million contract that included a $7 million signing bonus.

                        Two years later, the search for a new address may take a bit longer, and the financial expectations certainly...
                        -06-02-2004, 09:07 PM
                      • DJRamFan
                        Eagles give coach Reid four-year extension; OT Sciullo signs
                        by DJRamFan
                        Sept. 8, 2004
                        SportsLine.com wire reports

                        PHILADELPHIA -- Andy Reid received a four-year contract extension from the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday that will take him through the 2010 season. Also Wednesday, offensive lineman Steve Sciullo signed with the Eagles after being waived by Indianapolis.

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                        Reid, entering his sixth season in Philadelphia, has led the Eagles to three consecutive losses in the NFC championship game. He is in the third year of a $15 million, six-year contract signed in June 2001. His extension reportedly is worth more than $4.2 million per season.

                        "Andy Reid is an excellent leader of our football team," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "I think he is outstanding in every capacity: as a coach, as a person, as a leader, as somebody who makes cool decisions and who is willing to make the unpopular decision, which to me is absolutely crucial if you want to win big."

                        Reid's .638 winning percentage in the regular season (51-29) and his five playoff victories are the best in team history. He's just the third coach in franchise history to last more than five seasons, joining Greasy Neale (1941-50) and Dick Vermeil (1976-82).

                        "I'm humbled," Reid said.

                        Reid, 46, joined the Eagles in 1999 as a little-known assistant who worked under Mike Holmgren for seven seasons in Green Bay. He took over a team coming off a 3-13 season that was considered a laughingstock in the NFL.

                        One of Reid's first and most important decisions was unpopular at the time, but turned out to be a brilliant move. He selected quarterback Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick of the '99 draft -- Eagles fans wanted recently retired running back Ricky Williams.

                        McNabb quickly developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and has been to the Pro Bowl four consecutive years.

                        "It's exciting to know he will be here," McNabb said. "Now we can put this behind us and move forward."

                        The Eagles finished 5-11 in Reid's first season. They went 11-5 and won a playoff game in 2000, before winning three consecutive NFC East titles.

                        "Nobody could be more deserving," Lurie said. "It was tough even getting him to attend this news conference. He doesn't like talking about himself. This man has led this franchise in a spectacular way over the last several years."

                        Reid earned the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2002 after leading the Eagles to a 12-4 record, despite losing McNabb for the regular season after the 10th game and backup quarterback Koy Detmer the following week.

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                      • Varg6
                        Eagles' Rayburn (DT) is cut...
                        by Varg6
                        The subject of trade rumors the past several offseasons, defensive tackle Sam Rayburn is suddenly available on the open market after the Philadelphia Eagles released the four-year veteran Friday, making him able to sign with another team

                        Rayburn became the odd-man out on a crowded tackle depth chart and the move, which was not totally unexpected, came as the Eagles prepared to start a weekend minicamp.

                        Not many NFL teams enjoy the kind of surplus at tackle that the Eagles have, and Rayburn should merit solid interest as a free agent, given the difficulty most clubs experience in filling the position. It will not be surprising if Rayburn has multiple suitors.

                        Philadelphia plans to start a pair of former first-round choices, Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson, at tackle in 2007. The Eagles signed unrestricted free agents Montae Reagor and Ian Scott this spring and the coaches are also high on second-year veteran LaJuan Ramsey, who reported to work this spring 20 pounds heavier than a year ago.

                        The Eagles traded starting tackle Darwin Walker to Buffalo in a deal that brought Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes to Philadelphia, but still were overstocked at the position.

                        A former Tulsa standout, Rayburn, 26, earned a spot on the Eagles' roster as an undrafted college free agent in 2003. In four seasons, he notched 98 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery and one pass defensed in 52 games, including four starts.

                        His best season was in 2004, when Rayburn had 46 tackles and six sacks, despite playing mostly in a backup role.

                        Rayburn had five years remaining on his contract, at base salaries of $650,000 (2007), $700,000 (2008), $800,000 (2009), $850,000 (2010) and $950,000 (2011).

                        Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
                        -05-12-2007, 08:12 PM
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