Former Eagles running back and Super Bowl winner Jay Ajayi is officially retiring from the NFL.
Ajayi, 28, didn’t have a very long NFL career and he wasn’t in Philly very long either. But his legacy in Philly will always be as the extra piece that helped the Eagles on their journey to Super Bowl LII.
Ajayi will serve as the Eagles’ honorary captain on Saturday evening, giving Eagles fans one more chance to honor him at the Linc.
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Back in 2017, the Eagles were already rolling but Howie Roseman added a key piece when he traded a 2018 fourth-round pick to Miami for Ajayi, a former Pro Bowler whose relationship with the Dolphins had soured.
There were questions about how Ajayi would fit in the Eagles locker room, which had great chemistry, but he fit right in. And he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl.
In that stretch run of 2017, Ajayi had 70 carries for 408 yards (5.8) and scored a touchdown in his first game with the Eagles. In the playoffs that year, Ajayi had 184 rushing yards on 42 carries (4.4) and also caught 6 passes for 70 yards.
In Super Bowl LII, Ajayi had nine carries for 57 yards.
NFL
In 2018, Jay was off to a solid start in his first full season with the Eagles but he suffered a torn ACL in Week 5. Ajayi already had chronic knee injuries so this ACL tear basically ended his career. The Eagles brought him back in November of 2019 and Ajayi played in three games but it was clear he didn’t have much left. He hasn’t played since.
Unfortunately for Ajayi, he never earned a major contract in the NFL because of his injuries. He made a Pro Bowl in Miami, but he’ll be remembered in Philly as a Super Bowl champion.
A lasting image from the postgame celebration will be the London native parading around the field at U.S. Bank Stadium and the locker room with the Union Jack draped over his shoulders.
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