The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they have released LB Jeremiah Trotter.
"Jeremiah is one of my favorite guys," said head coach Andy Reid. "There's no question that this is the toughest part of this job. He and I met about this last night and it was very emotional for the both of us. Jeremiah and I have been together for many years and he's played a vital role in helping this team win a lot of football games. He developed himself into a Pro Bowl middle linebacker through a lot of hard work and desire. In my mind, he will always be a Philadelphia Eagle and I'm sure he feels the same way. I wish he and his family nothing but the best in the future."
The 30-year-old Trotter was in his second stint in Philadelphia since being a third-round draft choice of the Eagles in 1998. With four Pro Bowl selections on his resume, Trotter became just the fourth linebacker in team history to earn that distinction, joining Chuck Bednarik (8), Maxie Baughan (5), and Bill Bergey (4). He averaged over 147 tackles per year since becoming a full-time starter in 1999, including a career-high 202 in 1999. In 88 regular season starts as an Eagle, Trotter totaled 940 tackles (10.7 per game).
Trotter spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia and two in Washington before being released by the Redskins following the 2003 campaign. Without a contract offer, he somehow contacted Reid, who was on a fishing trip in a remote part of Utah where cell phone use was extremely limited. Trotter eventually signed a one-year contract at that time and parlayed it into a Pro Bowl season in 2004.
Trotter has been very successful off the field as well, as he owns a real estate company, Jeremiah Trotter Inc., and The Wash Sense Group, car wash facilities in the Philadelphia area. In addition, he established his own personal foundation, the Jeremiah Trotter Foundation, which is committed to the awareness and elimination of diabetes through research and education.
