Getty Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy during a 2018 game against the New York Jets.
A Buffalo Bills legend is officially hanging up his cleats.
According to a letter penned on the Philadelphia Eagles official website on Thursday, September 30, running back LeSean McCoy is retiring from the NFL. His 12-year career spanned six seasons with the Eagles, four seasons with the Bills, one with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Shady” will be signing a one-day contract with Philadelphia – the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2009 event – and retire as a member of the Eagles.
Eagles announced former Pro-Bowl RB LeSean McCoy is retiring, and signing a one-day contract to do it as a member of their team.
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McCoy starred at the University of Pittsburgh for two seasons before joining the NFL. Aside from his individual accolades and statistics, No. 25 was a vital reason why the Bills broke an 18-year playoff drought in 2017.
Despite putting up his best numbers in Philadelphia and Buffalo, McCoy didn’t earn his two Super Bowl rings until the end of his career with the Chiefs and Buccaneers in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Does ‘Shady’ Have a Case for the Hall of Fame?
GettyBuffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy during a game in 2019 against the Carolina Panthers.
When a player who has reached the level of McCoy’s fame calls it quits, one of the first natural questions is: Are they a Hall-of-Famer? The 33-year-old seems to have a pretty good case for enshrinement someday, as evidenced by some of his numbers.
The @Eagles have announced that LeSean McCoy will be retiring as an Eagle this Sunday when they face Andy Reid and the Chiefs
Many could probably make the case that he was the top running back of the 2010s.
LeSean McCoy during the 2010’s:
▫️Rushing yards: 10,434 rushing yards (most in NFL)
▫️Scrimmage yards: 13,923 (most amongst RB)
▫️Total touches: 2,755 (most in NFL)
▫️Total touchdowns: 85 (most amongst RB)
▫️Fantasy points: 2,341.3 (most amongst RB)
Exceptional career 👏
McCoy will certainly land in the Eagles Hall of Fame someday, as his 6,792 rushing yards place him first on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard. His six Pro Bowl nods came within a seven-year span from 2011 through 2017, and the only reason he didn’t make the cut in 2012 was that he missed four games.
His 2013 campaign was arguably his best, as he led the NFL in rushing attempts (314), rushing yards (1,607), rushing yards per game (100.4), touches (366) and yards from scrimmage (2,146). McCoy tacked on nine rushing touchdowns, 52 receptions and a pair of receiving touchdowns while only committing one fumble as well.
The Eagles certainly got a steal when they selected McCoy 53rd overall in 2009, as the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native is the third-leading rusher all-time for players chosen in the second round, according to Pro Football Reference. McCoy’s 11,102 rushing yards put him only behind Bills Hall-of-Famer Thurman Thomas and Cincinnati Bengals legend Corey Dillon for guys chosen in the second round.
Having made the Pro Bowl a half-dozen times, notching a pair of first-team All-Pro nods and two Super Bowl rings – not to mention the utter dominance and consistency at one of the most grueling positions in sports, McCoy should be a shoo-in for the Hall in the future.
McCoy’s Rank Among Bills Running Backs
GettyBuffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy during a 2018 game against the New England Patriots.
Though his two championships came in Kansas City and Tampa Bay, Shady’s prime was clearly in Philly and Buffalo. During the 2015 offseason, under head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles controversially traded their star back to Western New York for linebacker Kiko Alonso – who the Bills selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
After missing the entire 2014 season, Alonso played in just 11 contests with the Eagles in 2015 and was traded to the Miami Dolphins the following March. The 31-year-old spent the next three seasons in Miami and then appeared in 13 games with the New Orleans Saints in 2019, but he hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since, most recently being cut by the San Francisco 49ers in November 2020.
McCoy meanwhile, put together a stellar run with the Bills. He ranks sixth in franchise history in both rushing attempts (885) and rushing yards (3,814), while placing tied for eighth with his 25 rushing touchdowns, a figure that quarterback Josh Allen just surpassed.
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