TUESDAY, 6:04pm: Sproles’ deal gives him $5.5MM fully guaranteed, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. It’s basically a two-year deal for the tailback with no guaranteed money in year three.
FRIDAY, 2:29pm: Sproles’ new contract will pay him $10.5MM over there years, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Sproles has a base salary of $3.4MM for 2014, with a $100K workout bonus, so the new deal seems to maintain his average of $3.5MM per season.
12:25pm: Shortly after acquiring him from the Saints, the Eagles have extended the contract of running back Darren Sproles through the 2016 season, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Sproles was set to become a free agent a year from now, so the new agreement extends his contract by two years, as the Eagles have confirmed (via Twitter).
When rumors of a Sproles trade swirled earlier this week, the running back expressed some frustration about learning of the talks through Twitter updates. Sproles suggested he’d prefer to be cut, rather than traded, in order to control his own future. Considering he has already agreed to an extension with the Eagles, it appears the former fourth-round pick is happy with the outcome of those trade discussions.
Although Sproles is technically a running back, he did most of his damage in recent years through the passing game. During his three seasons with New Orleans, the 30-year-old recorded 1,067 rushing yards on 188 carries, and 1,981 receiving yards on 232 receptions, with 21 total offensive TDs (five rushing, 16 receiving). Starting next season, he’ll become one more dangerous weapon for Eagles coach Chip Kelly to employ in an already explosive offense.