The Philadelphia Eagles could lose a key starter to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
As Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac projects, he expects the Eagles to re-sign D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $18 million deal. However, he writes that if Philadelphia allows Swift to enter free agency, the San Francisco 49ers are a team that would likely be interested in Swift’s services.
“Philly has made this position a revolving door annually for quite some time now, so a multi-year extension wouldn’t seem to be the obvious choice – but we’re going to make it anyway,” writes Ginnitti. “Here’s why. If the Eagles let this player walk into free agent (franchise tag probably not ideal with their cap situation), one of the teams seemingly primed to pounce could be NFC rival San Francisco. Kyle Shanahan has long been looking for a proper handcuff for Christian McCaffrey, whose magic is bound to run out here soon anyway. 3 years, $18M to stay in Philly.”
D’Andre Swift Has Emerged as One of NFL’s Best Running Backs
According to Spotrac, Swift’s average annual value is $5.4 million per year across four seasons for a total of $22 million. That’s a shade under the $6 million average that Ginnitti projects.
Since being acquired in a draft day trade from the Detroit Lions, Swift has emerged as the starting running back for the Eagles. After entering the season as the backup to Kenneth Gainwell, Swift quickly emerged as the team’s best option in Week 2 when he ran for a season-high 175 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry in a 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Swift has seen proven to be one of the best running backs in the NFL, ranking third in rushing yards and 10th in yards per attempt. According to Pro Football Focus, Swift has posted a solid 64.1 offensive grade and 69.2 rushing grade this season.
Why the Eagles May Not Re-Sign D’Andre Swift
While it’s clear Swift is an integral part of Philadelphia’s success as a 9-1 squad, the Eagles don’t value their running backs too highly. The Eagles allowed their former starting running back, Miles Sanders, to walk in free agency this past offseason. The decision came after Sanders rushed for a career-high 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns while earning his first Pro Bowl bid.
Despite his career-best season, the Eagles allowed Sanders to sign a free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers worth $25.4 million across four years — average annual cap hit of $6.350 million per year — while making a trade for Swift, who is earning a shade under $1.8 million this season.
However, the decision has proved to be the right one, as Sanders lost his starting job to Chuba Hubbard and is having a career-low season with 274 yards on 82 carries for just 3.3 yards per carry.
As Martin Frank of Delaware Online notes, what the Eagles are paying Swift, Gainwell, Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott combined is less than what the Panthers are paying Sanders this year.
He also notes that unless the Eagles change their philosophy on running backs, they’ll likely allow Swift to walk.
“Unless the Eagles do an about-face on their philosophy of not paying running backs, it appears that Swift will most likely have to find his next paycheck somewhere else,” writes Frank. “And yet, Sanders’ season is also a cautionary tale as to why teams are reluctant to splurge on a running back, even in a depressed market for them that one Eagles player described as “ridiculous. The NFL is doing running backs wrong.”
We’ll see if the Eagles change their value of running backs this offseason, but it’ll cost at least a little bit of change if they want to bring back Swift.
If they don’t, we could see Swift sign with the Eagles’ most challenging rival in the Niners.
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Eagles Could Lose Projected $18 Million Starter to 49ers in Free Agency: Analyst