The New England Patriots slapped a rare tender offer on RB LeGarrette Blount to retain his rights for the sake of a compensatory draft pick and the move has paid off. Blount is expected to sign a 1-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: #Eagles are signing ex-#Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount to a 1-year deal worth up to $2.8M. Top FA available & another big weapon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 17, 2017
Blount should count as a qualifying free agent lost by the Patriots and should further protect their projected fourth and fifth round compensatory draft picks in case either Chris Long or Barkevious Mingo fail to make their new teams.
The Eagles were not projected to gain any compensatory picks so they can sign Blount without any negative repercussions, unlike other teams that showed interest like the Baltimore Ravens or New York Giants.
We have to wait and see the contract structure for Blount because it is likely to be heavily incentive-driven. There’s a chance the Patriots could earn another seventh-round compensatory pick if it’s valued at $2 million or more in base value because incentives don’t count towards compensatory draft value.
The Arizona Cardinals also showed interest, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and it would have cost them the least of their four projected compensatory draft picks.
Best of luck to Blount in his second-attempt at a career in Pennsylvania.