The Eagles could be making running back Jay Ajayi the centerpiece of their rushing attack. And he wants that. And that could eventually get expensive for the Eagles.
As Ajayi enters the final year of his rookie contract he has made an agent change, hiring Drew Rosenhaus.
Due to earn $1.907 million in 2018, Ajayi surely wants a significant raise. Indeed, his desire to get a new contract from the Dolphins (even though he wasn’t eligible for one until after the 2017 season) reportedly was a factor in Miami’s decision to abruptly trade him last season.
Ajayi rushed for 408 yards in seven regular-season games for the Eagles last year, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He added 184 yards in three postseason games, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt.
With LeGarrette Blount now gone, Ajayi could get more chances, as running backs coach Duce Staley has recently suggested. And Ajayi had flashes of dominance during his time with the Dolphins, generating a trio of 200-plus-yard rushing games in 2016, with two of them coming consecutively in wins over the Steelers and the Bills.
The question for Ajayi becomes whether he should try to get a new deal before the season, or whether he should roll the dice on having a big season, forcing the Eagles into a Steelers-style franchise-tag conundrum, especially since the tag for tailbacks so greatly outpaces the current running back market.