NFL star Derrick Henry has not been traded to the Philadelphia Eagles despite rumours linking the NFC team with the Tennessee Titans running back.
On Saturday, former NFL defensive end Akbar Gbaja-Biamila sent fans into a frenzy when he took to social media to claim the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year was joining the Eagles, who reached the Super Bowl last season. When a fan suggested he was lying, Gbaja-Biamila simply replied: “Just remember who told you first.”
Gbaja-Biamila shares the same agency with Henry, so it is perhaps he heard about the 29-year-old’s future and potential deal with the Eagles from his representation. However, it appears a trade hasn’t been completed just yet.
Earlier in the offseason, the Titans reportedly explored trading Henry at the NFL Scouting Combine. Titans general manager Ran Carthton later denied the rumours, but the former Alabama star is considered one of the best offensive weapons in the league.
While his yards per carry has dipped to 4.4 over the last two years, Henry is tied for second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (23) and fourth in rushing yards (2,475) over the same span. In 2022, Henry went for 1,538 yards (second in the NFL) and 13 touchdowns, finishing ninth in MVP voting while he led the NFL in rushing attempts for the third time in four seasons.
Henry has been perhaps the most dominant running back in the last five or six seasons. He has four campaigns of over 1,000 yards rushing, and has led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns twice (2019 and 2020).
The three-time Pro Bowler has one year remaining on his original four-year contract with a base salary of $10.5million. For 2023, his cap hit is just over $16m, which is why he could be a trade target for any contending teams.
The move would make sense for the Eagles, who lost Miles Sanders to the Carolina Panthers and replaced him with Rashaad Penny. The Eagles ranked third in scoring offence and total offence in 2022 en route to the Super Bowl - and Henry would make the unit more dynamic.
With Henry, star wideout A.J. Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts - the highest-paid player in NFL history - on the same roster, Philadelphia’s offence would be a nightmare for opposing defences. Last year, the Eagles sent a first-round pick to the Titans for Brown, and he elevated the offence to a new level. Perhaps Henry would have a similar impact.
