BREAKING: Eagles To Trade Maxwell And Alonso To Miami

(Photo: FoxSports.com)

The Miami Dolphins have made the first big splash of the 2016 season by acquiring cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso from the Philadelphia Eagles.  Since the 2016 season hasn't officially started, the trade will be finalized later this week.

With Chip Kelly being shipped out of Philadelphia, his replacement, Doug Pederson seems to be moving on from his player acquisitions as well.  Maxwell signed a 6-year, $63 million deal with the Eagles before the start of last season and Alonso was traded to the Eagles from Buffalo in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy.  

Maxwell played 14 games at cornerback last season, intercepting 2 passes with 52 tackles.  Alonso missed a significant amount of time with a left knee injury, playing just 11 games with 1 interception and 30 tackles.

For the 4th year in a row, the Dolphins are looking to compete in the division by winning the offseason.  In the past few years, the Dolphins have not been shy in spending to acquire big names.  Some of those names include wide receivers Mike Wallace and Greg Jennings, or running back Knowshon Moreno.  The most expensive move being the addition of Ndamukong Suh with a 6-year $114 million contract.  The Dolphins are now adding Maxwell's $63 million deal to the cap hit.

The move shows the difference between where these two teams are in terms of contention.  The Dolphins are sending draft picks away for players, in an attempt to take New England's spot atop the AFC East.  Meanwhile, the Eagles are trying to rid themselves of the acquisitions of Chip Kelly and start a rebuild in Philadelphia.   After this trade, it will be interesting to see how the cap is affected in Miami, and which players they will have to let go.  

By Matt Watts
@BiasedDave