Eagles’ Darren Sproles says 2018 season will be his last
In a post titled "One More Year," the veteran running back said he's planning to retire after the 2018 season.
Running back Darren Sproles — who missed most of the Eagles' run to the Super Bowl last year after tearing his ACL and breaking his arm in September — announced Sunday that he's giving it "one more year."
In a post on his personal blog, Sproles said he had planned for 2017 to be his final season before he was put on the injured reserve list in Week 3.
"I feel like I left a lot out there," he wrote. "And I couldn't let my career end like that."
Sproles notes in the blog how difficult it can be for running backs to recover from knee injuries.
"I wondered if I was going to come back the same, if I would still have my quickness," he wrote. "…Once I started rehabbing and running again I could tell I was good and ready for one more healthy year."
The 35-year-old pointed out he's eighth on the all-time all-purpose yards list, and he thinks he'll be able to pass Steve Smith at No. 7 and Marshall Faulk at No. 6, even if he won't catch Jerry Rice at No. 1.
"It will probably take until about mid-season (maybe a little longer) but I got my eyes set on Tim Brown" in the fifth spot, he wrote.
What convinced him to give it one more shot?
"When my daughter Devyn looked me in the eye and told me I have to play one more year—well, that was it."
Sproles agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles in April. He didn't attend the Eagles' voluntary organized team activities in May, but coach Doug Pederson was hardly concerned.
Last month, Sproles said he'd be ready to begin training camp when it starts on July 26.
"If they let me go full-go right now, I could," he said then. "They're holding me back a little bit … I feel 100 percent."
See the training camp schedule here.
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