Eagles extend McCoy for five years

Before he took his seat at the podium, LeSean McCoy stepped behind Andy Reid and rubbed the coach's shoulders as the running back flashed a smile.

McCoy had just signed a five-year, $45 million extension, and while there were several heroes in getting this deal done, Reid took an atypical central role in negotiations. He sat in on meetings and he helped bridge the gap between the Eagles front office and agent Drew Rosenhaus.

"Andy Reid really wanted to see LeSean stay with the Eagles," Rosenhaus said Thursday evening after the Eagles held a news conference to officially announce McCoy's extension. "When we were working on this deal Coach Reid was sitting in on the meeting. It wasn't so much that he was taking sides, he just wanted to see it get done."

To be fair to Rosenhaus and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who hammered out the deal, the divide wasn't as great as it once was between team and agent. The two had already come to terms on an extension for franchised wide receiver DeSean Jackson and on a new contract for free agent guard Evan Mathis this offseason.

But Reid has a great relationship with McCoy, and the team used that bond to smooth over any potential bumps in the road.

"He respects the guy a great deal," said LeRon McCoy, LeSean's older brother.

If all goes as planned, McCoy will play for Reid and the Eagles through the 2017 season.

On paper, the Eagles have had a productive and efficient offseason. They extended three of their own - McCoy, tackle Todd Herremans, and defensive end Trent Cole. They handed out new deals to Jackson and Mathis. They traded for middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans. They replaced injured left tackle Jason Peters with free agent Demetress Bell. And they had what appears to be a strong draft.

Signing McCoy, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, was the last domino to fall.

"We were going to be aggressive about it," Roseman said. "He's a part of the family, and his style and his play are so important to the organization and this team."

In only three seasons, McCoy has gained 4,241 yards from scrimmage and has scored 33 total touchdowns. Last season, though, he moved into elite territory when he rushed for 1,309 yards and tallied 20 touchdowns.

He wanted a new deal last season, but the Eagles pushed talks until after the year, a source close to the situation said. McCoy grew antsy and fired Rosenhaus on two occasions, worried that the agent's experiences with the Eagles would hamper negotiations.

Rosenhaus, of course, represented Terrell Owens when the wide receiver - then with the Eagles - helped create a circus atmosphere as he lobbied for a new deal. But the Eagles assured McCoy, Rosenhaus said, that they had a professional relationship with the agent.

Getting deals done with Jackson and Mathis with relative ease helped the process. The two sides had been talking numbers since January. But potential deadlines loomed, the first one being the start of full-squad practices Tuesday.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that it [got done] before OTAs," Rosenhaus said. "We're seeing all these guys get injured."

McCoy said that he wasn't worried about potential injury, but he was. He was prepared to hold out from OTAs, sources close to the running back said.

Four days ago, the Eagles offered a contract that McCoy's camp didn't like. They wanted a deal that paid the 23-year-old more than Texans running back Arian Foster, who signed a $43.5 million contract in March. They also wanted more than Foster's $20.75 million guaranteed.

"The Foster deal was a very good comparable because both players came into the league at the same time," Rosenhaus said. "Where we were different was Foster was a restricted free agent - did not have a contract."

McCoy got both requests - he has the potential to make $2 million more overall and he's guaranteed $20.765 million - although his deal covers six years to Foster's five.

McCoy gets an $8.5 million signing bonus up front. His 2012 base salary stays the same ($615,000), but he gets significant raises in 2013 ($3.25 million) and 2014 ($8 million) with all of the money fully guaranteed.

He'll be 27 before the final three years - with base salaries of $10.25 million in 2015, $7.15 million in 2016, and $7.85 million in 2017 - potentially kick in. For now he's a multimillionaire 20 times over.

"I just had a son [LeSean, Jr.], so it's a blessing to have a little guy in this world," McCoy said. "I'm trying to do the right things for him."

Here is a comparison of the Eagles' negotations with LeSean McCoy this year and Brian Westbrook in 2008:

MONEY: McCoy, after three seasons, agreed to a five-year deal worth $45 million. Westbrook, three years into a five-year deal that would have paid him about $3 million in 2008, agreed to a three-year contract worth $21 million.

LEVERAGE: Westbrook was coming off his two best years (more than 4,000 combined yards from scrimmage), and he was considered an indispensable part of a team that had Super Bowl aspirations. McCoy has the same leverage, but he's also only 23 years old. Westbrook was 29.

BIRDS' VIEW: There was never a doubt that the Eagles wanted to secure McCoy for the long haul. Westbrook, on the other hand, said the Eagles needed to show him respect in dollars and cents.

MARCH MOVES: The Eagles re-signed guard Evan Mathis, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, offensive lineman Todd Herremans, and defensive end Trent Cole two months ago.

- Gary Potosky