Eagles made the right move with Kendricks and he couldn’t be happier

After a frustrating couple of years, Mychal Kendricks wanted out of Philadelphia. Although the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t listen, he is no longer upset with his role.

Around this time last year, the Philadelphia Eagles were sitting at home like the rest of us. The NFL was gearing up to feature Super Bowl 51 between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The 30 other teams around the league were already focused on the 2017 NFL Draft.

For Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks, he was focused on getting out of his current situation. The six-season veteran had a rough ride in Philadelphia. Since his rookie season back in 2012, Kendricks had a significant role on the Eagles defense. But after suffering multiple injuries and a hit to his confidence, Kendricks found himself becoming utilized a lot less.

Kendricks played his professional career under three different head coaches. Andy Reid in 2012, Chip Kelly from 2013-2015, and Doug Pederson from 2016 to now. Although Kendricks regression started as early as 2014, he found himself hardly playing at all last year when the Eagles finished out 7-9.

Demanding a trade…

Enough was enough for Kendricks after 2016. He finished out his campaign with a career-low 32 tackles in 15 games. After feeling like he wasn’t being used enough for him to reach his full potential, Kendricks spent his offseason begging to be traded. Although he was a fan favorite in past seasons, the fan base started to get sour towards him as well. Some went as far as saying they would be fine with Kendricks getting cut.

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Thankfully, Howie Roseman and company do not listen to the fans. And in this case, it’s good that he doesn’t listen to the players sometimes either. After a phenomenal preseason showcase by Kendricks, it was expected that he would be shipped off to another team while he was hot. Little did we know, the Eagles had bigger and better plans for Kendricks in 2017.

Although Kendricks was upset, he acted like a professional throughout this entire process. Despite things not going his way, Kendricks eventually came around and ended up earning himself a full-time role on defense once again. Through 15 games, Kendricks finished out 2017 with 77 tackles and two sacks. Putting himself back on top of the depth chart for linebackers.

Where is his head at now?

So how does Kendricks feel about the Eagles organization now? Well, you know what they say, winning keeps everybody happy. This is the case for Kendricks right now. Despite whatever happens after this year, this has been one to remember for him. See what he sad to say to NBC Sports Philadephia.

"“I’m having fun because I’m playing,” Kendricks said. “It’s always fun to play the game.”“Things happen for a reason. It all worked out. If I would have been in a different predicament, we wouldn’t be talking about this. I’m obviously sitting here today talking to you, going to the Super Bowl. I don’t think I’d want it any other way.”"

With the Eagles one game away from achieving the ultimate goal, players couldn’t be happier. Obviously, this team will not be the same moving forward, but right now everybody is just living in the moment and soaking it all in.

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There’s no telling if Kendricks will be in Philadelphia next season or not. But the fact that he proved he can still be a factor on defense may convince the Eagles front office to keep Kendricks on board after 2017. His professionalism and his contributions have proved that he is a great player to have in the locker room even though he had some frustrations behind closed doors. So wether or not Kendricks is an Eagles beyond 2017, this season was surely one to remember for him.