Philadelphia Eagles reportedly want Ronald Darby.. Is he worth an investment?

Ronald Darby wants to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. They apparently want him around as well, but would he be worth a long-term investment?

We should have known they’d figure things out. For a while, all we talked about was clearing up cap space and whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles would be able to keep some of their core players. Then, there were extensions and Philly said goodbye to a couple of guys. Just like that, the Eagles had put themselves in position to be players in free agency. That brings us to Ronald Darby.

According to various reports and Darby’s own words, the theory is Philly wants to keep him around, and he wants to remain in Philly for the foreseeable future.

Here’s a tweet from Ian Rapoport. It contains a link to his podcast RapSheet and Friends.

Here’s a quote from that conversation:

"The Eagles really want me to stay where I’m at, so me and my agent we’re just planning everything out… I love it here. It’s one of the best sports cities in the whole United States. I won a Super Bowl here, which has never been done (before)… There’s a lot of talent on this team. It would be blessing to be able to stay here but at the end of the day you gotta do what’s right."

Darby’s contractual situation is one that will get a ton of debate started for several reasons. One several writers including Tom Pelissero of NFL.com believe there’s a huge payday coming. Here’s a quote:

"The cornerback group is lean. That should benefit Ronald Darby, who may get close to top-ten money, perhaps $12 million a year, even as he rehabs from a torn ACL. Darby just turned 25."

Albert Breer of MMQB agrees to some extent:

"He tore his ACL in November, which isn’t ideal, but Darby’s high-end ability flashed in both Buffalo and Philly over the last four years, and he may well be in position to take advantage of a weak crop at his position. He’d be an interesting dice roll for a team with a need, like Houston, and it wouldn’t be stunning to see him land in the $12 million per neighborhood."

With that being said, here’s another talking point, and it’s one that’s been brought up over and over again. It’s hard to imagine Philly giving Darby $12 million. Why would they? He’s never played a full 16-game schedule, and in his last two seasons, both in Philly, he hasn’t even played in ten. That would, no doubt, lead some to believe he’s out when the ‘Free Agency Frenzy’ begins.

It’s hard to judge these things, and we’ve been wrong before. Still at this point, it’s hard to imagine that Darby would be a guy that Philly would commit to long term. Financially, it just doesn’t make sense.