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Eagles Sign Donnie Jones, Release Patrick Chung

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Eagles have signed punted Donnie Jones to a three year contract. The team also released safety Patrick Chung.

The deal for Jones is reportedly worth up to $6 million.

Both players signed with the team prior to the 2013 season, but Jones had a much more successful year than Chung. The 33 year old Jones had one of the best seasons of his NFL career, averaging 44.9 yards per punt.

"Donnie was tremendous for us last year and had one of the best seasons I have seen by a punter. What you love about Donnie is his consistency and he's always working to perfect his craft. He's a great fit in our locker room and he's another guy we wanted to make sure we brought back," Howie Roseman said in a statement.

Jones was a Pro Bowl selection in 2013, and set team records in single-season net punting average (40.4 yards per punt) and punts inside the 20-yard line (33), while ranking third in franchise history in single-season gross punting average (44.9). Jones also became just the fourth punter in NFL history to win NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in consecutive games in a single season and first since 1999 for his play against Washington (11/17) and Arizona (12/1).

"Donnie proved he was a great weapon for us last year. He had a really good season for us. I like the fact that we continued our trend of re-signing our core players. He's a good teammate and a player we prioritized during this free agency process," Chip Kelly said in a statement.

Chung struggled in his first and only season with the team. Chung will still count for $1 million against the Eagles 2014 salary cap. His contract would have been worth $3.75 million if he had made the team.

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