Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
C.J. Spiller is preparing to hit free agency and stated that he won't be back with his longtime team, the Buffalo Bills, after their reported trade to land LeSean McCoy on Tuesday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on the deal Buffalo made with Philadelphia to bring McCoy in, and Spiller went on NFL Network for a live interview just minutes later.
Mike Rodak of ESPN.com transcribed a couple of key points Spiller made with regard to his future in light of the new circumstances:
CNN's Rachel Nichols added more from Spiller:
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News observed how Spiller seemed to lobby for the Eagles to come and get him on the open market:
Spiller couldn't provide any specificity as to where he might play in 2015 and beyond, via NFL Network's Dan Hellie:
The following insight from The MMQB's Peter King suggests landing in Philadelphia may not happen, given how Spiller has struggled at times to try and rip off too big of plays:
This plight has plagued other superior backfield talents, such as Reggie Bush at the beginning of his career. Although Spiller has demonstrated an ability to get downhill, injuries have hampered him in recent years.
With the exception of an electric 2012 campaign, when Spiller ran for 1,244 yards on six yards per tote and had 43 receptions, he hasn't lived up to his billing as the 2010 draft's No. 9 overall pick.
In four of the past five seasons, McCoy has run for more than 1,000 yards, so it makes sense that the Bills want superior dependability and a more historically productive ball-carrier to take the feature role in 2015.
But in light of the circumstances and how splashy Tuesday's reported trade is, Spiller may be inspired to play the best football of his life as he shops around for a new NFL home.
There's no question he has the talent to get it done. What Spiller needs is the chance to be the workhorse somewhere he can show off his well-rounded skill set.
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