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Miles Sanders is balling out in his contracy year. There are no ands, ifs, or buts about it. He is currently on pace for 1,390 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Sanders has tallied career highs across the board, including a whopping 5.1 yards per carry.
Still, there have been no public rumblings on a contract extension as the explosive running back nears the end of his rookie deal. What are the Philadelphia Eagles planning to do? Would they let him walk in free agency? They might.
The Eagles appear ready to look for younger talent in the 2023 NFL draft, according to Gary Cobb. The former Eagles linebacker — and plugged-in insider — recently explained what he’s hearing about the franchise’s long-term strategy on Sanders to the National Football Show.
“If he goes and continues at this pace and has a big year, I think they got to talk to him. They got to at least make some kind of offer to the kid,” Cobb told Dan Sileo. “I think they have to do that, it just would be kind of malpractice if they didn’t offer him something. I do think they do want to grab a couple of kids in the draft and have them in, some fresh legs that they don’t have to pay. I think that is their strategy.”
Eagles Coaches Saying All the Right Things
Fresh off a 143-yard rushing performance against Green Bay, Sanders seems to have all the leverage in contract talks. It marked a single-game career high for the Penn State product, topping his 134-yard outing this season against Jacksonville.
Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was asked what has impressed him the most about Sanders’ 2022 campaign. He gave a predictable one-word answer, one that should help Sanders at the negotiating table.
“The consistency,” Steichen told reporters. “The consistency week in and week out and taking care of the football and the way he’s running with the physicality that he’s doing and taking care of the football. He’s seeing it good. I know I keep saying that every week, but it continues to be the same message. It’s consistency and the way he’s doing it and taking care of the football.”
Looking for Derrick Henry Type of Contract?
The biggest elephant in the room is how much money is Sanders looking to earn? Spotrac projects his market value at $7.2 million per year, which seems cheap considering the type of season he’s having on the field. That would be put him in the same range as Saquon Barkley, his former teammate at Penn State.
But some analysts are pointing at Derrick Henry’s four-year, $50 million deal as the better barometer. Martin Frank of the New Journal called Henry’s contract a “cautionary tale” when it comes to shelling out top dollar for a running back. By doing so, the Tennesee Titans were too cash-strapped to keep Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown. Frank wrote:
The Eagles, meanwhile, gave Brown a four-year contract worth as much as $100 million upon making the trade. They will also likely pay Hurts, who will be heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2023. An extension for Hurts could surpass the $40 million per year mark.
That, of course, doesn’t leave the Eagles much room to fit in Sanders – and definitely not at the top of the running back pay scale. Then add in the context of how the NFL lifespan of a running back averages out to 2.57 years, according to Footballguys.com, and how the production starts declining at age 28.
Food for thought. Sanders will turn 26 years old on May 1. He may only have two productive years left — plus he has a lengthy injury history — so handing him a lucrative four-year deal may be too risky for the Eagles.
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