The Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their backfield for the 2017 NFL season, signing running back LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal.
For months, there were questions about where LeGarrette Blount would play during the 2017 NFL season. That question was answered on Wednesday, as the running back signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Blount led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 18 last season, and will head to the City of Brotherly Love to bolster a rushing attack that also features Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles.
Staying with the running backs, it looks like the Jacksonville Jaguars signed their top draft pick on Wednesday. Leonard Fournette, who the team took with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, signed a four-year rookie deal with the team. Fournette is expected to be the workhorse for the Jags this season, who will be looking to finally make it out of the cellar in the AFC South.
One running back who is looking for a bit more money than a rookie deal is Devonta Freeman, the standout back for the Atlanta Falcons. Freeman wants “elite money,” and he certainly deserves to be paid that way. Making less than $2.0 million this season, Freeman was extremely productive for his salary, though those days are soon to be long gone. He has scored at least 11 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.
Kirk Cousins and the word “contract” seem to go hand in hand, as the quarterback for the Washington Redskins is going to play under the franchise tag for the second straight year in 2017. Cousins, who led the Skins to the playoffs in 2015, recently said that his contract situation is “in a good place,” but who knows what that actually means. He will be getting a lot of money to pilot a bad Redskins team in 2017, which could likely be his last with the organization.
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Finally, it may be starting to feel like deja vu for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. Six years ago, Smith was replaced by Colin Kaepernick as the starting quarterback in San Francisco, and first round pick Patrick Mahomes II may do the same thing to him with the Chiefs. Smith sees the similarities between the two situations and realizes that it is just the nature of the business.