The Philadelphia Eagles telegraphed their plan to replace LeSean McCoy at running back when they agreed to a more modest contract with free agent Frank Gore.
Gore changed his mind and decided his chances of getting a Super Bowl ring were better with Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. The Eagles, with Super Bowl hopes of their own, were left with a rather large hole in their backfield.
Their interest in Ryan Mathews, who spent the past five seasons in San Diego, was consistent with the Gore signing. Matthews agreed to a three-year contract worth $11.5 million, according to a report by ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. That $11.5 million was about the number McCoy was going to earn for 2015 alone.
That was the plan, and then DeMarco Murray phoned coach Chip Kelly to express interest in the Eagles. Schefter reported Thursday morning that Murray was coming to Philadelphia with the expectation he would sign with the Eagles. The parameters of the contract weren’t known yet, but it seems very clear Murray will not be in the same neighborhood as Gore and Mathews.
