Miles Sanders sounds off on Eagles exit, limited touches in Super Bowl
Despite recording the first 1,000-yard season of his career, Miles Sanders watched on as Kenneth Gainwell played over 50% of the snaps in Super Bowl LVII.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Sanders rushed outside and got hit hard near the sideline, fumbling the ball out of bounds. Sanders jogged to the locker room and later returned, but he didn’t play very much.
Sanders ended the game with just 16 yards on seven carries, an anticlimactic end to an otherwise stellar 2022 campaign. After averaging 74.6 rushing yards per game in the regular season, Sanders averaged just 49.3 rushing yards in the playoffs — a trend that undoubtedly contributed to his exit from Philadelphia.
“Last game of the season? For all of the marbles? Everybody can answer that question,” Sanders said, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “If they put themselves in my shoes, would they be happy? I don’t want to make headlines, [but] if it does, I don’t care.”
“I can get into that another day, maybe,” Sanders replied when asked about leaving the Eagles. “Maybe you should ask them why I’m moving here.”
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Sanders was vocal about his desire to remain in Philly, but GM Howie Roseman has historically been reluctant to pay running backs. The 4-year, $25M contract Sanders signed with Carolina was too rich for Roseman’s blood, and the Eagles instead allocated those funds toward re-tooling the position.
Eagles RB salary in 2023
- Boston Scott: $1.85M
- D’Andre Swift: $1.77M
- Rashaad Penny: $1.35M
- Kenneth Gainwell: $940k
Total: $5.91M
Sanders ended his Eagles tenure with 3,708 rushing yards across four seasons, eighth most in franchise history. The former second-round pick looks forward to more opportunities in Carolina, where he’ll be reunited with former running backs coach Duce Staley.
.@BoobieMilesXXIV has another and the @Eagles lead 14-7. #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2023
📺: #SFvsPHI on FOX
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Mandatory Credit: Chris Szagola | AP
