Miles Sanders' Market May be Slow Despite Packers' Aaron Jones' Decision

Miles Sanders’ leverage regarding a new contract with the Eagles or elsewhere may have gotten slightly better when it was reported that the Green Bay Packers have agreed to a restructured deal with running back Aaron Jones on Friday.

The belief was the Packers would release Jones, further flooding an off-season RB market.

Instead, the Packers agreed to pay Jones $11 million in 2023, which includes an $8.52M signing bonus, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jones was scheduled to have a $20M salary cap number this season.

A source said during the Super Bowl that the Eagles had not approached Sanders about a new contract, yet.

The expectation is they will let their running back test the free agent market, which could potentially include the likes of Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Kareem Hunt, Raheem Mostert, Rashaad Penny, Mark Ingram, and Jamaal Williams.

The draft also has some top-tier runners, including Texas’ Bijan Robinson, Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, and other potential second-day picks.

In other words, it could be a challenging time for Sanders to find a deal he likes, especially in Philly.

The Eagles have Kenny Gainwell under contract and Boston Scott could return on another one-year deal if his marker, like last year, doesn't develop.

Philadelphia also kept Trey Sermon on the 53-man roster all year and gave him a look in Weeks 4 and 5. He had two carries for 19 yards against the Jaguars, then the following week played just three snaps against the Cardinals.

He is a bigger-sized back at 6-0, 215, and a former third-round pick of the San Franciso 49ers in 2021.

This past season, Sanders was able to stay relatively healthy for the first time since his rookie year and had his first 1,000-yard rushing season. He finished with 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he wasn’t utilized much in the passing game, with just 20 receptions for 78 yards.

"I always play with a big chip on my shoulder, every year that doesn’t change, but this year was one of those years I wanted everybody to feel me," he said during Super Bowl week. "I wanted to ball out every time I touched the ball and make everybody pay for it."

Sanders declined to talk to the media in the locker room after Super Bowl LVII’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He has said in the past he would love to return to the Eagles, knowing that their vaunted offensive line is a big reason for his success as is the way QB Jalen Hurts is always a threat to run the ball, which opens lanes for Sanders.

Sanders appeared to suffer a hand or wrist injury on his first carry in the Super Bowl and didn’t have the impact that he would have liked to have.

Over the final month of the season, the Eagles used Kenny Gainwell more.

Both Gainwell and Sanders each had seven carries in the Super Bowl, with Gainwell gaining 21 yards to Sanders’ 16.

Gainwell is also more of a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. He had four catches in the Super Bowl for 20 yards.

Asked during Super Bowl week about the use of Gainwell, head coach Nick Sirianni said it was more situational.

“In situations within the game is where that’s coming from,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a little bit more third down, sometimes there’s a little bit more two minute, you know, Kenny goes in with those scenarios.

“Then there are things that happen after those situations, no-huddle, where it works itself that way. The reps have been somewhat even over the last couple weeks and they’ve both put in really good work, and we’ll keep rolling with that.”

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.