Eagles Cut Takeo Spikes Loose

Comcast Sportsnet is reporting that the Eagles have parted ways with linebacker Takeo Spikes.  Spikes was the big off-season acquisition made by the Birds last season to fill in at what was a very thin position for the Eagles.  His contract is likely the issue here because Spikes performed adequately in 2007.  Did he perform up to his contract value?  It looks like the Eagles didn't think so or at least don't think he would in '08.

Also, the Freak goes back to Titans.

Comments

[SID]

why cut a perfectly good player, this is very mind boggling to me. sometimes i am so happy with what they do and other times i want to drive down to the complex and let like 85 chicken's loose.

[Michael C]

guess they want to give more playing time to the young guys. they have said repeatedly that they ultimately think Gaither is best off at the weakside, and i only assume they are going to start Bradley in the middle. I don't know why they would do this though. Spikes provides great veteran leadership. They better use that money to sign someone or something.

[Kulp]

SID, I would have liked them to take Spikes into camp and see what happens this year, but this is business. He's due $5 million, and with the emergence of Stewart Bradley, he probably would have lost his starting job. Teams don't pay backups $5 million.

Also, if they are going to trade for any of those big name receivers we've all been talking about, they were going to have to make some room under the cap for another big new contract. I'm not saying it is or it isn't, but this cut could be the precursor to a big trade.

[Matt P.]

I'm gonna have confidence in the move based on them making the right cut with Trott, even though it seemed idiotic to many fans. Hopefully they use the cap space/money to add a player, not just help pay for Samuel.

Of course, it could just be because of the Spikes curse... (no playoff appearances in 10 years).

[PhillyFriar]

Kulp might have hit it on the head. Bleeding Green Nation also seems to think this might be the precursor to a big move. I hope it is, because if not it seems like they're putting an awful lot of faith in their young linebackers.

[Mike]

It has to be a precursor. The Samuel and, to as lesser extent, the Clemons signing along with the receiver talk really makes me think they are going for it all this year. I hope they do.

[Titus Pullo]

I'm beginning to think Andy Reid hates having too much depth at any position.

[BrettMyersin2008(formerly ColeHamelsin2008 until he started cryin about his contract)]

I agree with Kulp. I loved Spikes last year and I think if you go back and watch the game film of some of those goalline stands they had this year, you will see Spikes being huge in those stops. However, I've been drinking Heckert, Banner, and Reid's Kool-Aid for years now. Think back to how we reacted when the Birds moved Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, and Jeremiah Trotter, a lot of us were in shock, but those players were hardly ever heard from again. The Eagles know what they are talking about as talent evaluators and I second the notion that this means a big move for a Roy Williams or Larry Fitzgerald is on the way. Any idea of how much under the cap the Birds are with letting go of Kearse and Spikes? Do you think we can sign A-Rod for the Phils too?

[Joe Manning]

They are clearly just giving themselves some cap room - to make the imminent Fitzgerald trade possible.

[Sophia's Bush]

he didn't live up to his contract and Bradley has such a nice upside this move kindof had to be made. 5 million free better go to either Westbrook or more importantly a certain fella named Larry

[BFH]

@Titus -- That made me laugh out loud dude. Well done.

This will certainly just turn up the volume of the rampant WR speculation even more.

[GreggyD]

I loved having Spikes here this past year and I think he taught our young linebackers a lot about the game, but I cannot see him putting up numbers that are any better than what Bradley or Gaither (whomever mans his position in 08) will and that $5 million off the roster is nice as well. I have been sitting and waiting patiently the past few days to hear some big news on the WR front and I felt so burned when I heard the reports that Moss took less to stay in New England despite the fact that I respect him immensely for it. By making it clear that they indeed pursue Moss, it made the fans even more adamant about bringing in our "true #1."

I am beginning to think that Arizona will absorb Fitz's salary this season since they are out of FA options, but I would still be satisfied if Williams was brought in and signed to an extension right away. This would be a risky move seeing his injury trouble this past season, but he is a playmaker and it will be tough to bring in anyone better. Also, if teams are as high on Limas Sweed as some are suggesting (he is projected in some cases to go very close to the top 10) and the Eagles want to make a move to trade up in the draft, they will need that extra cash to sign him with the way rookie deals are going anymore.

Either way, they just freed up $5 million and they need to do something with it.

[BFH]

Yep -- I can at least "kind of" see the logic behind the Lions trading Williams. They need a ton of help on defense and Williams is a free agent soon.

But yeah, the Texans moving Johnson makes no sense and will never happen. Certainly a nice player, though.

[eric]

The only thing odd about this move is the timing... why not before FA started, so Spikes had a fair shot at it? Why not when they cut Kearse?

Something must have changed in the past five days... they didn't sign any linebackers. Gaither and Bradley are the same players they were five days ago...

Their only two explanations, as I see it... either the front office is manuvering the cap space to pull off a big move (like a Fitzgerald or Roy Williams) OR they've been trying to get Spikes to rework his contract, thought they could, but couldn't.

Anyone else have an explanation?

[BFH]

Eric -- This is actually quite fair to TKO. They could have brought him in to camp and cut him then.

There's still a lot of money out there to be spent. A few teams still have $25+ million in cap space.

[NastyEmu]

I would expect a new contract for Westbrook in the next few days. I'm holding out hope for Larry Fitz, though.

[HLH]

Hopefully this is the next step in acuiring Fitzgerald. Because if it isn't the move doesn't make much sense. Takeo may have lost a step or two or three but he is still better than alot of linebackers in the game. He Could have been used in a trade too.

[Michael C]

They could have cut TKO to let him sign with a contending team, instead of trading him. nicer for him to let him decide where he is going

[Paul]

I don't think they had much choice in trading him because who is going to take an aging linebacker that the eagles don't want at what like 8 mil a year. That's not worth anything, you'd be better off trying to draft a guy instead and saving a whole bunch of money.

[Kulp]

Well, he was only at around $5.5 mil, but here's the thing about a trade...

You can't trade a player like Spikes because he has no value. The money owed was only base salary, so the team did not take any cap hit with a cut. Basically, any team interested in TKO would simply need to wait for the team to give up and release him, then swoop in and sign him for half the cost.

Sometimes a team will trade so the player can't hit the open market, but at best it would have been a fifth round pick. The Eagles appear to be in line for compensatory picks in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, so they don't really need to stock up on additional late round picks. Also, such a move usually requires a renegotiated contract since the new team still doesn't want to pay that much. The Birds offered TKO a paycut, but he opted to take his chances in free agency.

[MG]

Where is this ridiculous notion coming that the Eagles gave up some kind of real impact player? Spikes was a solid-tackler but that was about all he brought to the table last year.

Spikes is too slow to be used on LB blitzes (a huge liability in Johnson's scheme), he was a liability in pass coverage, and didn't force a turnover all year. Plus, he is coming off a torn rotator cuff.

Maybe Spikes finds a starting job but I doubt it. He is more than likely going to a part-time player in '08 who gets pulled in nickel situations.