CJ Spiller to Saints: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After five up-and-down seasons with the Buffalo Bills, running back C.J. Spiller has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the New Orleans Saints in free agency.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the agreement, and Saints Senior VP of Communications Greg Bensel confirmed and noted the length of the contract.

Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports reported on the financial details: 

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The 27-year-old Clemson alum has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his NFL career, but injuries and inconsistent usage have prevented him from living up to the expectations placed upon him after being the No. 9 overall selection in the 2010 NFL draft.

Spiller's 2014 campaign was his worst since his rookie season, as he rushed for just 300 yards in nine games and averaged 3.8 yards per carry. A broken collarbone cost him seven contests.

Getlin believes it's a terrific move for the Saints: 

Even though Spiller's contract year was disappointing, Bills general manager Doug Whaley insisted that he wanted to keep the speedy back in Buffalo, per WGR Sportsradio 550 (h/t Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com):

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We're going to try to do our darndest to get this guy in the fold and get him back. I'm sure he's disappointed with how last year went with the injuries, but we want him to come back with us and get back to the form we know he can play at.

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That desire may have been bolstered by the hirings of Rex Ryan as head coach and Greg Roman as offensive coordinator. Both men are known for their propensity to pound the rock, and Spiller seemed excited about the possibility of playing in that type of offense, per NFL Network's The Aftermath (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra):

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It strikes me well. That's what I love to do is run the football. And Rex, that is what he's known for, running the football, being physical, playing that hard-nosed football. I'm excited about it. This is a great opportunity for us to get this thing turned around. We ended this season on a 9-7 record, now it's just time to build on that and get into the playoffs.

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The Bills decided to go in a different direction, but the ground-and-pound attack didn't have any bearing on that.

They acquired running back LeSean McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, which effectively spelled the end of Spiller's tenure in Buffalo:

It is worth noting that Spiller's best NFL season came in 2012 while in Chan Gailey's spread offense, which isn't something the Ryan and Roman-led Bills are likely to run much. He racked up over 1,700 total yards and eight touchdowns while averaging an impressive six yards per tote that season.

Spiller has put himself in position to possibly reach the immense potential that most talent evaluators have seen in him since entering the league.

Maybe a change of scenery is the final missing piece to the puzzle.

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