Philadelphia Eagles fans will always love Darren Sproles after retirement

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles announced on Saturday that he will retire from the NFL after the 2019 season.

Back in 2014, it was an absolute steal for the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints through a trade since all they needed to give up was a fifth-round draft pick.

At the time of the trade, Sproles was considered one of the most dangerous running backs in the league due to his small size and blazing speed, making it seem impossible at times for defenders to keep up.

Not to mention, Sproles was the kind of running back that could be used in multiple ways, whether it was being a receiver or stepping up when needed at special teams.

During each of his first three seasons with the Eagles, Sproles played well enough to earn trips to the Pro Bowl, but unfortunately staying healthy over the last couple of years has been an issue at times for the veteran.

So when the news came out on Saturday that Sproles would in fact be retiring at the end of the 2019 season, this really wasn’t viewed as much of a surprise by Eagles fans, especially since he’s only managed to appear in 15 games since 2017.

In fact, Philadelphia fans remember well last season how Sproles was flirting with the idea of retirement before deciding to give it another go this year, which unfortunately didn’t work out too well after a partially torn hip flexor muscle eventually became a full tear this year.

During his six years spent with the Eagles, Sproles finished with 2,790 yards from scrimmage to go along with 17 touchdowns in 61 games on top of four punt returns for a touchdown as well.

There’s been plenty of debate over the years in regards to whether Sproles is worthy of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but even if this doesn’t turn out to be the case, he will always have a special place in the hearts of Eagles fans.

For obvious reasons, Philadelphia fans would have loved to see Sproles finish the last three years with the Eagles on a higher note instead of dealing with numerous injuries, but also this is another perfect example of the toughness he would bring to the table.

Time will tell when it comes to seeing what the future holds for Sproles now that his NFL career will officially be coming to an end, but at least no matter what, Philadelphia was able to help him earn a Super Bowl ring before retirement.