The addition of linebackerKiko Alonso won't signal the end of DeMeco Ryans' Philadelphia Eagles career.
The team announced Monday that Ryans has signed a new contract that will keep him with the Eagles through 2016.
The new deal is a two-year contract worth $7.5 million in base value, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The agreement can be worth up to $10.5 million and includes $6.25 million guaranteed, Rapoport added. The deal lowers Ryans' 2015 salary-cap number of $6.9 million to about $3 million. The 30-year-old linebacker is recovering from the second torn Achilles of his nine-year career.
Coach Chip Kelly insisted in January that the Eagles need to keep Ryans on the roster because he "sets the tone for everybody on the defensive side of the ball."
Immediately after the Alonso trade, Kelly again emphasized that Ryans is not expendable.
"I like having really good football players," Kelly explained. "Mychal (Kendricks) missed some games last year, DeMeco missed games last year, Kiko has missed games. We're trying to accumulate as many good football players as we can."
Between Ryans' leadership and the impressive closing speed of Kendricks and Alonso, the Eagles should boast one of the NFL's best inside-linebacker corps this season.
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