Darren Sproles Career May Be Over

Darren Sproles Career May Be Over

One of the greatest all-purpose players in NFL history may never suit up again. Philadelphia Eagles RB Darren Sproles was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn hip flexor muscle. He suffered a partial tear of the same muscle earlier in the season but returned to face Chicago. He seemed to be healthy and set to go to, but he experienced discomfort in the area during the week and the true extent of the injury was revealed. 

The last three seasons have been nothing short of a nightmare for the 36-year-old running back. He was set to call it quits after the 2017 season, but after tearing his ACL and breaking his arm on the same play in Week 3, he opted to return for another year. A hamstring injury robbed him of most of his second attempt at a farewell tour, so he tried one more time this year. He received plenty of touches early in the season as the Eagles were determined to get him involved, but he was slowly phased out of the game plan until his injury in Week 5. Sproles latest Instagram post looked like a retirement announcement, so unfortunately, he will not be able to go out the way he would’ve wanted to. An unfortunate ending for one of the most electrifying players to ever grace the gridiron.

Sproles was originally drafted back in 2005 by the San Diego Chargers. As a backup to Hall-of-Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, he made his money on special teams and in the receiving game. In two playoff games in 2008, he racked up an NFL-record 608 all-purpose yards. After his tenure in San Diego, he moved to New Orleans and became an instant favorite of QB Drew Brees. In his first game as a Saint, he returned a punt 72 yards for a score. The same year, he set another NFL record by totaling 2,696 all-purpose yards. He and teammate Malcolm Jenkins both came to Philadelphia in 2014 and both became Pro Bowlers. Sproles 83-yard punt return touchdown against New England in 2015 was one of the most important plays in a massive Philadelphia upset. He is tied with DeSean Jackson for the most punt return scores in Eagles history with four.

If this is it, thank you, Darren, for your contributions to the Philadelphia Eagles organization and to the entire National Football League.

-By: Micah Jimoh

Writer