Philadelphia Eagles legend Frank Gore was expected to sign with the Birds back in the early hours of free agency 2015 - ancient history, I know - before backing out of a supposedly agreed-upon deal and signing with the Colts instead.
From our story on March 9, 2015:
"Gore agreed to sign a deal with the Eagles that includes $7.5 million guaranteed in the first two years, according to a source, who added, 'barring something unforeseen.'
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"Maybe such a something has happened."
It's one of the more wild free agency moments in Eagles history, one where it seemed like something was truly a done deal... until it wasn't.
And now, nearly seven years later, Gore has deigned to give us an explanation for the ol' okey-dokey he pulled.
Gore spoke with the Associated Press's Rob Maaddi this week and was asked about that fateful decision, and his answer is going to infuriate Eagles fans who really wanted the veteran running back to sign with the Birds:
NFL
"Nick Foles called me, I committed to him and said I was going to come. He called me, said congrats, can't wait to get on the field. And then the next day he gets traded. Then I see Jeremy Maclin, he goes to Kansas City. Then I'm like, 'Man.'
"At the time, 10 years, 11,000 yards, I'm trying to win a championship. I got a taste of the Super Bowl with San Fran but we didn't win, so I'm searching to go to a championship. I see Nick Foles get traded, I see Maclin go to Kansas City, and they already let DeSean Jackson go [to] Washington. I love the coach, that's my dog Chip Kelly, we still talk. But I just felt like when I saw the pieces leaving, we couldn't win a Super Bowl there.
"So I saw the Colts, they were off the AFC championship, I thought if I go to the Colts and I called Andre Johnson, I think we can get them over the top. That's why I went to Indy."
So it was Chip Kelly's awful decision making as the roster-builder that cost the Eagles the chance to sign Gore. Cool, cool, cool.
Just one more feather in Kelly's cap as a true Eagles villain.
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(Also, respect to Gore for correctly identifying Nick Foles as a future Super Bowl champion. Well-played, Frank.)
At the time Gore was coming off his fourth straight 1,000-yard season and was just one year removed from a run of three straight Pro Bowl selections. He was about to start a mild decline, but he still rattled of 2,953 yards and 13 touchdowns in a three-year stint with the Colts. He's Frank Gore! He's great.
Meanwhile the Eagles marched out much-maligned DeMarco Murray that season, who averaged 3.6 yards per attempt and earned $9 million while pouting in the corner for much of the year. The Eagles still haven't had a 1,000-yard season from a running backs ince LeSean McCoy's 2014 campaign.
Ultimately, the Birds won the Super Bowl three seasons later with a running back-by-committee of non-star RBs amid the great devaluing of the position, so I wouldn't say missing out on Gore was some big, killer whiff. But it's a hilarious story, and another reason to hate Chip Kelly, so here we are.