Eagles news: Contract experts calculate potential Miles Sanders deal

Time’s ticking. Despite the unquestioned talent that Miles Sanders possesses, the Philadelphia Eagles seem content to walk into the 2022-2023 NFL regular season sans an extension for the man they selected 53rd overall during Round 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Typically, when we discuss that class and the Birds that were added to the nest, the conversation goes in one of about three different directions: Andre Dillard and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside have both been a bust. Clayton Thorson and Shareef Miller both play in the USFL now, and Miles Sanders is great when he’s healthy. He just hasn’t proven that he can endure the rigors and physical demands of what’s now an 18-week, 17-game NFL season.

The running back position has long been pro football’s most punishing job. No one questions how good ‘Boobie’ can be. We’ve seen it, but after watching him limp off of the field during the season finale of his rookie campaign, we’ve seen him sit out of four games as a sophomore and five more during the most recent Eagles run.

Sure, he probably could have gone in Week 18 versus the Dallas Cowboys last season had his team needed him. Wisely, the coaching staff allowed him and other starters to rest.

Sanders will tell you, however, that he wasn’t at his best when we last saw him, but he also seems to have no issues with stating he believes the coming season will be a bounceback season.

Many of us believe him. We don’t feel as though there’s any reason not to.

Spotrac calculates what Miles Sanders’ next deal might look like.

It’s been well documented that Miles Sanders didn’t score a touchdown during the 2021-2022 NFL season. That’s led to three questions.

Have the Eagles overworked him a la LeSean McCoy? Was that an off-year or a sign of things to come? Is he and should he be in this team’s long-term plans going forward?

No one seems to know the answers to those questions, so it looks like the coming NFL season isn’t just an audition for Jalen Hurts. Miles may be looking to prove he’s someone the Birds want to hold on to as well.

Recently, the contract experts over at Spotrac gave us some insight into his market value. Here’s the breakdown: three years at $12,766,680 with an average salary of $4,255,560. That would rank him 423rd in the NFL and 19th among all NFL running backs.

Currently, his salary for the coming NFL season is set at $1,704,156. That contains a base salary of $1,224,569 and a signing bonus of $479,587. He represents $479,587 in dead-cap money. That ranks his current deal at 847 and at 54 among the game’s current running backs.

Regardless of what comes of Miles Sanders’ time in Philadelphia this season, we know he’ll end up on someone’s roster in 2023. During his first three seasons in the midnight green, he’s racked up 2,439 rushing yards on 480 carries. He’s added another 864 yards to the Eagles’ cause on 104 receptions. He’s reached the end zone nine times as a rusher and three more times as a receiver.

Let’s hope the man we see in 2022 resembles the man we saw in year one. He’s as talented as they come, and even with the wear and tear that comes with playing running back, it should be easy to diagnose that he’s capable of making highlight-reel plays again.