LeCine McCoy is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons, signing a one-day contract to do so as a member of the Eagles, the team announced Thursday.
A star at the University of Pittsburgh, McCoy entered the league in 2009 as the Eagles' second-round pick. He arrived as the successor to Eagles hero Brian Westbrook and broke in his second season, rushing for 1,080 yards and seven scores. Part of the Philadelphia offense led by resurgent quarterback Mike Vick. McCoy became a star a year later, racking up 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
McCoy was a mainstay and became a darling in Philadelphia for the next four years, breaking 1,300 rushing yards twice and leading the Eagles to the playoff once in that period before being sent packing for Buffalo by Eagles coach Chip Kelly. who had found other players to fill their roles in the passing and running game. McCoy was flipped to linebacker Kiko Alonso and pay relief for the Eagles, and was forced to prove his worth in a new city.
Prove he hauled more than 1,100 yards in both 2016 and 2017, and helped end Buffalo's postseason drought—the league's longest at the time, dating back to 1999—in 2017. Along the way, McCoy also continued his streak of Pro Bowl appearances from 2013 to 2017.
McCoy began to run out of steam at the end of the decade around the 30-year mark, eventually being released just before the start of the 2019 season in favor of younger backfield options. He appeared in 13 games (nine starts) with the Kansas City Chiefs, rushing for 465 yards and four touchdowns but played almost no role in the Chiefs' race to victory in Super Bowl LIV.
It was such a strange twist of fate that McCoy eventually landed not once, but twice in a role that was essentially unimportant, returning to the Super Bowl and carrying the ball only 10 times throughout the season with the Buccaneers another. get the ring. He mocked his luck, calling himself "rabbit's foot" after his second title.
McCoy was openly set to return to Philadelphia for two consecutive seasons (2020 and 2021), but did not find it in an active role. Having the best statistic of the 2010s (in terms of yardage, which he led with 10,434), instead hanging it as a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion. Will return home. . His only possible regret? He never won one of those rings with the Eagles.