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LeSean McCoy spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. He confirmed the Philadelphia Eagles’ rumored interest in him:
“Philly was another big one that I wanted to explore that option. They reached out.”
But he also explained why he ended up with the Bucs instead:
“Enough waiting – let’s do it. Let’s get in there with the team, let’s learn the offense, things like that. I mean, come on – I’m in Tampa, nice weather and I’m playing with Tom Brady? How do you beat that?”
To set the record straight, it’s not like the Eagles really wanted McCoy and simply lost out. His veteran minimum contract reflects as much. So does this report:
I’m told LeSean McCoy was interested in returning to Philly and there was a lot of talk back and forth
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 4, 2020
But I’m told a real official offer was never made to Shady https://t.co/zpEX1XIrFM
The Eagles had some level of interest in re-signing their all-time leading rusher and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. They’ve reportedly tried to reacquire him multiple times — I count at least three — since Chip Kelly traded him away in 2015.
But the Eagles are in a spot right now where they’re looking for a very specific fit. They seemingly want an established veteran running back who will play for the minimum (or near minimum) and also be accepting of a limited role behind Miles Sanders. One can wonder if the Eagles and McCoy couldn’t agree on the latter, hence no official offer. Other reason(s) easily could’ve been in play.
In any case, McCoy isn’t coming back to the Eagles. Maybe the team finds a way to agree to terms with Devonta Freeman if he lowers his price and accepts a decreased role. Or maybe they just roll with the young backfield options currently on their roster.