Darren Sproles to Retire After 2019 Season Concludes

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles is retiring from the NFL after the 2019–20 season. 

Sproles, a fourth-round pick to the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL draft, is fifth all-time in NFL history in all-purpose yards, after successful stints with the Chargers, Saints and Eagles.

"I owe so much to the game of football and I gave it all I had in return," he said in a post on the Eagles' official website. "I gave it everything I had on every play. I rode it until the wheels fell off."

Entering Week 16, the 5-foot-6, 200-pound Sproles has played in only six games this season, and only 15 combined over the last three seasons. However, he made his three career Pro Bowl appearances with the Eagles between 2014–16.

Sproles attended Kansas State, finishing fifth in the 2003 Heisman Trophy voting.

In addition to his NFL statistics, his 6,812 all-purpose yards ranks 19th all-time in NCAA history and eighth all-time among players from Power 5 schools.

"I'm proud that I was able to prove my doubters wrong. They told me that I wouldn't make it past a year in the NFL," Sproles said.

"It also goes to show that no matter what people say about you, you can still achieve great things if you believe in yourself and put in the work."