Will the Philadelphia Eagles Keep Trent Cole Next Season?

Oct 12, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole (58) gets up after hitting New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagle outside linebacker Trent Cole is really taking to his new position. It wasn’t long ago the he was wreaking havoc with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 defensive end, but Cole has really accepted his new role. While browsing Twitter, I came across a tweet that mentioned that Trent Cole is currently ranking near the top of all eligible 3-4 outside linebackers in the NFL.

This got me thinking about next season and what will come of Trent Cole in 2015? This is a player that was around for the dominant Jim Johnson defenses, this is a player that Philadelphia can be proud of and yet this is a player that might not be with the Eagles next season.

Eagles fans shouldn’t need anyone else’s opinions, if you are watching the Philadelphia Eagles play, you can see Trent Cole putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, just ask New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Being a long time Eagles fan, I have loved watching Trent Cole dominate for the past decade, so when I think about the possibility of him not being on this team next year, I get anxious.

Next season, Trent Cole’s contract balloons up to $11.625 million on the Eagles cap charge (numbers from Over the Cap) and that number likely has Cole becoming an off-season cap casualty. I would really hate to see him go when he is playing so well and he has been such a huge part of this team.

Trent Cole is the epotimy of the type of player that Head Coach Chip Kelly likes to have on his team. Trent is a team first player that knows the team wins and loses as a whole unit, individuals don’t win games alone. Chip says it best:

Part of me would like to think that Trent Cole is the type of person that knows he is in a good position with the Eagles and that he might be willing to renegotiate his contract. I think Trent Cole is a very valuable part of the improving Eagles defense and the team would take a big step back without him wearing midnight green next season. The flip side is that I don’t see the Eagles keeping Cole on the roster if he isn’t willing to renegotiate. The 2015 dead money would be $3.2 million dollars, a number the Eagles can easily take care of.

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Trent Cole finished the 2013 season with 8 sacks. Those 8 sacks came over the last 8 games of the season which led me to believe he was just starting to figure out the outside linebacker position. This season, through 6 games, Cole has 3.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Those numbers are looking even better as the Eagles defense is currently playing at a high level and will be coming off of a bye week. He heads to Arizona next week and I think he will prove himself once again.

So, the $11 million dollar question is, will Trent Cole be a Philadelphia Eagle next season? I think he will be. I believe Coach Kelly will find a way to make it work with Cole to keep him locked up and allow him to finish his career in Philadelphia. Personally I like our current linebacking corps and would enjoy seeing them play together for a few more years.

I am interested in what Eagles Nation thinks. Is Trent Cole worth a $11.6 million dollar contract? Do you think Cole would be willing to restructure his contract or is it time for Philadelphia to move on?