LeSean McCoy on Chip Kelly: I don’t think he likes star players

LeSean McCoy wasn’t expecting to be traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Buffalo Bills this off-season. But he has a theory on why Eagles Coach Chip Kelly made the move.

“I don’t think he likes or respects the stars. I’m being honest,” McCoy told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday. “I think he likes the fact that it’s ‘Chip Kelly and the Eagles.’ ”

In his two seasons with the Eagles, Kelly has drastically reworked the team’s roster, starting last year by cutting star receiver DeSean Jackson. McCoy thinks Kelly might not like his players getting all the headlines.

“It was ‘DeSean Jackson -- a high-flying, take-off-the-top-of-the-defense receiver.’ Or ‘the quick, elusive LeSean McCoy,’ ” McCoy said. “I don’t think [Kelly] likes that.”

Of course, the Eagles replaced McCoy with another star, former Dallas Cowboy and reigning NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray.

Kelly has said publicly that the McCoy trade happened for financial reasons, even though the team ended up giving Murray a five-year, $40-million contract. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said McCoy’s running style wasn’t really a fit for Kelly’s offense, even though McCoy rushed for nearly 3,000 yards in two years under Kelly.

In other words, there’s holes in everyone’s explanations. And McCoy is sticking with his. He says Kelly has tried to call him twice since the trade went down, but the Eagles franchise rushing leader didn’t pick up.

Still, McCoy said, he has no animosity toward his former coach and does plan to speak with him eventually.

“He’s not the bad dude everybody makes him out to be. He’s just different,” McCoy said. “But I don’t really have any hate for him. I really don’t. In the beginning I did, but I don’t. If I see him I’ll speak to him, respectfully. ‘How are you doing, coach? Good luck.’ ”

Twitter: @chewkiii