The Chip Kelly era came to an abrupt end Tuesday evening with the news of Kelly’s firing. Not even one year after Kelly was able to wrestle the GM duties away from Howie Roseman, owner Jeffrey Lurie abandoned the Chip ship with one game remaining in the 2015 season.

Kelly leaves Philadelphia having accumulated a 26-21 record, but it’s his horrid offseason as a general manager that ultimately cost him his job. There’s no one transaction that Kelly botched the most; it seems like every move he made backfired.

Here’s a chronological summary of his big offseason moves with a letter grade assigned for how well it worked for the Eagles.

All contract values are per Spotrac.com.

Releasing Todd Herremans

Chip Kelly’s first eventful move of the offseason was cutting longtime guard Todd Herremans, a 10-year veteran in Philadelphia and the team’s starter at right guard.

This wasn’t met with much uproar from the fanbase; despite Herremans being the longest-tenured offensive player on the roster, his quality of play had dipped significantly in 2014. Herremans was also scheduled to make $5.2 million against the ’15 cap, which was too much money for a player who had just finished another season on injured reserve.

Grade: B

Releasing Trent Cole

Like Todd Herremans, Trent Cole was a 2005 Philadelphia Eagles draft pick but also a veteran player scheduled to command a significant cap hit in ’15.

Cole’s $11.625 scheduled cap hit would have severely restricted the Eagles’ ability to sign other free agents; in fact, it’s highly unlikely Brandon Graham would have been able to be retained. Cole signed on with the Indianapolis Colts, where he’s picked up three sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 games (five starts).

Grade: B+

Releasing Cary Williams

The fact that Chip Kelly released Cary Williams was no surprise, and in fact, it turned out to be a good move. Williams, who was due to make $8.2 million against the cap, and the Philadelphia Eagles saved $6.5 million by releasing him. Williams latched on with the Seattle Seahawks, but was then released earlier this month. It’s apparent he didn’t have much left in the tank, making this a smart move by Kelly.

Grade: A

Trading LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso

Arguably Chip Kelly’s loudest offseason splash was trading away the franchise’s all-time leading rusher for former Oregon Ducks linebacker Kiko Alonso. Logically and financially, the move seemed to make sense. McCoy was scheduled to earn nearly $12 million against the 2015 cap, and Alonso – still in his rookie deal – saved the Eagles a ton of money.

There were warning signs, notably the fact that Alonso was rehabbing a torn ACL – the same injury he had suffered in college. But Kelly’s sports science plan was a foolproof guarantee to cure any injury on any player – at least that was the plan.

But then Alonso suffered a knee sprain in Week 2 that sidelined him for half of the season, and when he returned, he was as ineffective as any player in the league. Meanwhile, McCoy – who did miss some time in Buffalo – finished the year on a strong note.

Grade: D

Re-Signing Brandon Graham to a Four-Year, $26 Million Contract

Brandon Graham looked like he was on his way to being a first-round bust in Philadelphia before putting together an underrated 5.5 sack, four-forced fumble campaign in 2014. That earned #BlockedByBrandon a new four-year deal with the team, one in which he would finally be a full-time starter with the Eagles, replacing the veteran Trent Cole.

Graham has been productive this season as a pass-rusher, despite a pedestrian sack total of 6.5. He’s forced three fumbles and his 38 quarterback hurries are the eighth-highest total of 3-4 rush linebackers. Graham is still just 27 years old, and an average salary of $6.5 million per year is a respectable price to pay for his services.

Grade: B-

Allowing Jeremy Maclin to Walk in Free Agency; Signs With Kansas City on a Five-Year, $55 Million Deal

It’s understandable that Chip Kelly didn’t want to pay $11 million per year for Jeremy Maclin, but factoring in that first-round rookie Nelson Agholor has severely underproduced, it looks like another mistake by Kelly.

Maclin – fresh off his best season as a pro in which he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns – has thrived as Kansas City’s No. 1 receiver, doing so for the coach that drafted him into the league back in 2009. Andy Reid has utilized Maclin as an outside receiver and in the slot, and he’s coaxed a 84/1,034/7 season out of him thus far.

Since the start of the ’14 campaign, only three other wide receivers have caught as many passes (169) and touchdowns (17) as Maclin – Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Jr., and DeAndre Hopkins. That’s pretty good company.

Grade: D+

Signing Byron Maxwell to a Six-Year, $63 Million Contract

Chip Kelly’s decision to break the bank for a one-year starter seemed odd at the time, especially considering Byron Maxwell played in the Legion of Boom and thus had immense safety help in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

Kelly’s reasoning – that Maxwell was the best available corner and thus the market dictated that price – is flawed logic. Maxwell has gotten exposed in Philadelphia, and even as he’s improved over the games, he hasn’t come close to fulfilling his contract with the club.

It’s surprising that a $63 million corner – with a bigger total contract value than Richard Sherman – doesn’t shadow opposing No. 1 wide receivers. It’s frustrating that Maxwell’s numbers allowed – 65.7 completion percentage and 100.7 passer rating against – aren’t much different than those of Oakland’s failed first-round bust, D.J. Hayden. Maxwell also has a ridiculous 15 missed tackles on the season, and he’s proven to be a liability as a run defender.

Grade: D-

Signing DeMarco Murray to a Five-Year, $40 Million Contract

Just days after a plan to acquire veteran running back Frank Gore backfired, Chip Kelly opened up his wallet (or Jeffrey Lurie’s wallet, to be more accurate), and dished out a whopping $40 million for DeMarco Murray, the NFL’s 2014 rushing champion. While it was thought to be a massive paycheck given to a running back fresh off a 497-touch season (including postseason), Murray was expected to be the downhill running back Kelly needed for his hurry-up offense.

Murray’s tenure in Philadelphia couldn’t have started worse; he rushed for just 11 yards on his first 20 carries. That’s difficult to do on the lowest setting of Madden, so what made it worse was that Murray’s 13-carry, two-yard Week 2 performance came against his former team. Murray lost his starting job in midseason and has accumulated a grand total of 118 rushing yards in the last five games.

That’s a far cry from his 2014 season when he was close to averaging that yardage mark per game. Murray has appeared slow, stiff, and sluggish. He’s a poor fit for the offense and he didn’t help the situation by complaining to his owner after a game. Murray is all but locked in for next season, considering the Eagles would have to pay more to cut him than to have him on the roster. But, so far he’s proving why it’s not wise to pay for running backs.

Grade: F

Signing Ryan Mathews to a Three-Year, $11.5 Million Deal

After missing out on Frank Gore, Chip Kelly added both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to his backfield, inking the latter to a three-year, $11.5 million deal with $7.5 million in guaranteed money.

Mathews was a 2010 first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers who had made a Pro Bowl and averaged over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage in his five NFL seasons. He had also struggled with injuries, missing 20 of a possible 80 games during that span, including 10 a year ago.

Mathews went on to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ best running back in 2015. He’s averaged an impressive 5.1 yards per carry, scoring a team-high seven total touchdowns, and while he did miss three games due to injury, he was still vastly more effective than Murray.

Grade: A-

Trading Nick Foles and a 2016 Second-Round Pick for Sam Bradford

This move didn’t work out quite the way Chip Kelly envisioned, but it really wasn’t a bad decision by Kelly. The second-round pick may have been a little much – consider it a clear case of the veteran GM Les Snead fleecing the inexperienced Kelly – but Foles wasn’t going to be Kelly’s QB, and Kelly took a chance on Bradford, a former No. 1 overall pick.

Bradford has the physical tools to be successful, and it’s difficult to judge him in such a lost season with limited help in the running game, at wide receiver, and from the offensive line. But 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions – and two missed games due to injury – is a far cry from a Pro Bowl season. His 37.48 QBR ranks 33^rd among 35 quarterbacks – ahead of just Ryan Tannehill and ironically, Foles – and his 6.9 yards per attempt is too reminiscent of his St. Louis days.

Bradford is a free agent, and supply and demand in the NFL dictates that the Eagles would likely have to pay at least $15-18 million per season on a three-plus year deal to retain Bradford. If Bradford walks, then the Eagles traded Foles and a second-round pick for one year of mediocre quarterback play. If Bradford stays, the Eagles may be caught in quarterback purgatory with a signal-caller who’s not good enough to take that next step.

Grade: C

Drafting Nelson Agholor in Round 1

Chip Kelly’s perplexing decision to cut DeSean Jackson and then allow Jeremy Maclin to walk in free agency forced a first-round wide receiver. Drafting Nelson Agholor seemed like a great fit; the USC product was remarkably similar to Maclin in build and was thought to be an automatic plug-and-play in Kelly’s system.

Here we are in late December though, and Agholor’s rookie campaign has been a colossal disaster. He’s suited up for 640 snaps this year and accumulated just a 21/260/1 statline, rating as PFF’s worst receiver in the NFL. Agholor’s dropped touchdown against Washington was just another disappointing play in a season to forget for the rookie. There’s still reason to think he can be a productive receiver; a number of rookies struggle early on before having successful careers. But grading Agholor so far through year one doesn’t look too good.

Grade: D-

Releasing Evan Mathis

Chip Kelly’s release of Evan Mathis was another baffling move that backfired immensely once the season rolled around. Mathis is 34 years old and was scheduled to have one of the larger cap hits in the league for a guard, but it was still an extremely manageable figure, and one Mathis had undoubtedly earned.

PFF’s top-rated guard in 2011, 2012, and 2013, Mathis only slipped to second in 2014 because he was injured for half the season. That’s why Kelly’s decision to cut Mathis doesn’t add up in the least. As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles were forced to start Andrew Gardner and Allen Barbre, and then Matt Tobin when Gardner landed on IR. It’s a shame Kelly – who brought in a quarterback fresh off two ACL injuries – didn’t feel a top-notch offensive line was essential.

Grade: D-

Trading Brandon Boykin for a 2016 Conditional Fifth-Round Pick

It really was no surprise to see Chip Kelly trade Brandon Boykin. After all, Boykin – a former Andy Reid pick who excelled as a part-time cornerback from 2012 through 2014 – was deemed too short to play on the outside.

When rookie sixth-rounder JaCorey Shepherd was placed on season-ending IR in training camp, the move suddenly didn’t look so good. The Philadelphia Eagles ended up utilizing safety Malcolm Jenkins as a nickel back for much of the season, which then forced Chris Maragos or Ed Reynolds into a prominent role at safety.

What was surprising was that Boykin played limited snaps in Pittsburgh; to date, he still hasn’t started a game for a brutal Steelers secondary that has seen Antwon Blake and William Gay get torched repeatedly all season. Given that he’s an impending free agent and likely wasn’t going to get re-signed by Kelly, the trade wasn’t a terrible move.

Grade: B-

Extending Mychal Kendricks to Four-Year, $29 Million Contract

All the warning signs were there that Mychal Kendricks wouldn’t be back in 2015. The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Kiko Alonso. They still had DeMeco Ryans returning. And then they drafted Jordan Hicks in the third round of the NFL draft.

So it was a shock to see Chip Kelly work a four-year, $29 million extension – with $16 million in guaranteed money – for Kendricks. It seemed like a terrific move, considering Kendricks was one of the better inside linebackers in the league in 2014, registering four sacks and three forced fumbles in just 12 games.

Kendricks has struggled in 2015, missing four more games due to injury and failing to make the impact plays he had in the past. Still, he should be a valuable part of the defense going forward, and it was wise for Kelly to lock him up to a long-term deal.

Grade: B+

Posted by Cody Swartz

The oldest and wisest twin. Decade-plus Eagles writer. 2/4/18 Super Bowl champs. Sabermetrics lover. Always ranking QBs. Follow Cody Swartz on Twitter (@cbswartz5).