4 free agents the Eagles should happily let leave
By Nick Villano
The Philadelphia Eagles sole focus on Sunday, February 12th is winning the Super Bowl. On February 13th, just like everyone else, the offseason begins.
The Philadelphia Eagles were the rare team that was basically the best team in football from wire to wire. They dominated the NFC East despite the odds originally declaring them underdogs to the Dallas Cowboys (which was a rare Vegas miss). They made it all the way to the Super Bowl, the promised land, and they did it on the backs of its players.
Jalen Hurts being on a rookie contract (a second-round rookie at that) allows the team to build superstars around the offense and defense. However, the chicken is coming to roost soon. The Eagles have 19 free agents this offseason. We expect Hurts to negotiate a new contract after this game.
That Hurts contract, and the possibility he could make somewhere in the range of $50 million a season, is going to force the Eagles to make some tough decisions this offseason. One free agent seems like a slam dunk, but the Eagles should actually say no.
4. RB Miles Sanders
Running backs are a dime a dozen in today’s NFL. Unless you have a truly special player, like Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey, a superstar team shouldn’t give a running back the bag. Miles Sanders is a really good running back, but he’s not “can’t let him go” status for a team trying to pay their quarterback.
The Eagles also have interesting running backs on the roster behind Sanders. Boston Scott (who is also a free agent) and Kenneth Gainwell are capable running backs. Gainwell averaged 4.5 yards per attempt, and Scott is still a good short-yardage back.
Really, the Eagles will likely go the NFL Draft route. Tank Bigsby and Zach Evans are both players who could bring a lot of value in Day 2 or Day 3. No matter what the Eagles end up doing, it shouldn’t be signing Sanders to an extension. He’s a nice player, but he hasn’t always been consistent. Just let someone else take that risk.