Best Potential Landing Spots for C.J. Spiller in Wake of LeSean McCoy Trade
The shocking news first came from an unlikely source, followed by a phone call minutes later confirming the obvious domino effect.
Free-agent running back C.J. Spiller would not be returning to the Buffalo Bills in 2015.
According to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, Spiller was in the green room of NFL Network when analyst Willie McGinest passed along the breaking news: Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso was being sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy, a rare player-for-player swap first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
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Spiller—at first convinced he was being pranked on set—eventually received a phone call from Bills management, who confirmed the trade and notified him his time in Buffalo was ending. While Spiller expressed a return to the Bills was originally in the cards, Wednesday's agreement to bring McCoy to Buffalo all but eliminated the possibility.
Such is life in the chaotic, ever-changing NFL.
Spiller is out of work, but only for the moment. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent, and there figures to be no shortage of teams interested when the market officially opens at 4 p.m. ET next Tuesday.
The former first-round pick of the Bills is uniquely talented. Spiller runs a legitimate 4.3-second 40-yard dash, which has helped him create 45 career plays over 20 yards and another 13 over 40. He can also catch the football out of the backfield, as evidenced by his 158 receptions over 70 career games. He even brings special teams value, with experience returning kicks (three career touchdowns) and punts (12.1-yard average).
At the height of his powers in 2012, Spiller created more than 1,700 yards from scrimmage and scored eight touchdowns.
| 2010 | 14 | 74/283 | 24/157 | 1 |
| 2011 | 16 | 107/561 | 39/269 | 6 |
| 2012 | 16 | 207/1,244 | 43/459 | 8 |
| 2013 | 15 | 202/903 | 33/185 | 2 |
| 2014 | 9 | 78/300 | 19/125 | 1 |
| Career | 70 | 668/3,321 | 158/1,195 | 18 |
An assortment of injuries over the last two seasons knocked him from "rising star" status. But when healthy, Spiller is the kind of electric, versatile athlete teams covet in an increasingly more wide-open professional game.
According to Diana Marie Russini of NBC Washington, Spiller turned down an offer from the Bills worth $4.5 million per year, which eventually led to Buffalo pursuing McCoy. It stands to reason Spiller believes he is worth $5 million or more per season on the open market.
Where will he end up next? Here are the most likely landing spots for Spiller once free agency opens on March 10:
San Francisco 49ers
ESPN's Josina Anderson first illuminated the possibility of Spiller ending up in San Francisco late Wednesday night, presumably after speaking with the player's agent at some point following the Alonso-McCoy trade.
The dots are easy enough to connect. Veteran Frank Gore is set to become a free agent, and if he leaves, second-year back Carlos Hyde would be expected to take over as starter. It would make sense to bring in a player like Spiller, who could add versatility and experience to the position while also providing a Plan B if Hyde isn't up for a full-time role.
Also, keep in mind the 49ers once used a second-round pick on running back LaMichael James, who entered the league with a skill set somewhat similar to Spiller. He was a bust. It's certainly possible general manager Trent Baalke is still looking for an explosive space player in his running back ranks.
Arizona Cardinals
According to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix, the Cardinals had some level of interest in Spiller before last season's trade deadline. Any potential trade evaporated when Spiller broke his collarbone in mid-October, but it wouldn't be crazy to think the Cardinals will once again have interest now that the running back is a free agent.
Anderson included the Cardinals among Spiller's potential suitors.
Landing in Arizona would pair Spiller with Andre Ellington, giving the Cardinals a double dose of explosion and versatility at the running back position. While the two are very much alike, having them together would provide head coach Bruce Arians with the option of limiting each player's workload. At this point, neither back is best utilized in a full-time role.
Expect the Cardinals to be players in the running back market, either through free agency or the draft. Spiller should have appeal if Arizona decides to address the position this month.
New York Jets
The beauty of free agency is that a player can pick and choose which staff and playing style is best suited for him. And for Spiller, that system is probably the one currently being installed by new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey in New York.
In 2012, Gailey operated a wide-open Bills offense featuring a heavy dose of Spiller. He responded with a career-best season, rushing for 1,244 yards on just 207 carries and catching 43 passes for 459 yards. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry and 10.7 per catch, both outstanding numbers for a running back over a full 16-game season.
Back in January, Spiller admitted an interest in reuniting with Gailey to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:
“There is that familiarity between me and him in that offense," Spiller said. "So that would be a perfect match. Who knows what can happen, but I’d be foolish not to have those guys on my list. I had my best years in the league with Chan. So it’d be dumb not to give it serious thought.”
The Jets certainly have an opening for Spiller after releasing running back Chris Johnson. If signed, Spiller could combine with Chris Ivory to give New York the kind of speed-power combination the club was looking for when it originally signed Johnson last offseason.
Venerable beat reporter Rich Cimini of ESPN New York doesn't believe the Jets "will be chasing" Spiller, but it's possible the strong fit with Gailey will mean very little recruitment is required to get the free-agent running back in New York.
Philadelphia Eagles
It would sure be something if Chip Kelly managed to offload the massive contract of LeSean McCoy, acquire a young, cheap asset at linebacker and then complete the circle by signing Spiller in free agency. Not only is Spiller capable of handling many of McCoy's previous duties in the Kelly offense in Philadelphia, but he would arrive at a fraction of the price McCoy was to be paid in 2015.
While there's nothing rock-solid tying the two teams together at this point, Spiller isn't ruling out the possibility.
"I'm pretty sure that Chip (Kelly) has my agent's phone number so I'm pretty sure we might have to make a call over there," Spiller said, via Hanzus.
Just 100-150 touches in the Eagles spread offense could be dynamite for Spiller. In a perfect world, Kelly would convince Spiller to sign a deal similar to the one Reggie Bush recently signed in Detroit (three years, $12 million). And for the next three seasons, he'd give Philly something close to 1,000 yards from scrimmage while providing another dangerous asset on special teams.
The NFL rarely works out so ideally. But the legend of Chip Kelly would certainly grow if he can turn an overpriced version of McCoy into a potential Pro Bowl linebacker and McCoy 2.0.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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