LeGarrette Blount is embarking on a new challenge.
After winning his second straight Super Bowl, Blount is joining the Detroit Lions on a one-year, $4.5 million deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 31-year-old was part of a Philadelphia Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII over the same New England Patriots team he played for one year earlier which also took home the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end.
The #Lions are signing FA RB LeGarrette Blount to a 1-year deal worth $4.5M, source said. He’s back with Matt Patricia, as the New England ties are strong.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2018
LeGarrette Blount to Sign One-Year, $4.5 Million Contract With Detroit Lions
Blount’s impact with the Eagles was much less pronounced than it was with the Pats. After signing a one-year, $1.25 million deal in the off-season, he managed 766 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season. But he did score a rushing touchdown in each of Philly’s playoff wins. It included a 21-yard scamper in the second quarter of the Super Bowl that gave his team a 15-3 lead.
A year earlier, Blount was a revelation for New England. His 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground were both career highs with the latter total leading all NFL running backs. It included a three-touchdown effort against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, the third time in his career he achieved such a feat.
Blount joined the Pats 12 games into the 2014 season after getting released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first game with the club saw him rush for 78 yards, finding the end zone twice in a 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions. In the AFC Championship, Blount exploded for 148 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts. Two weeks later, he won the first of his now three Super Bowl rings.
It was his second stint in Foxborough, having joined the team in 2013 in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent his first three seasons in the league with the Bucs, but initially joined the Tennessee Titans after going undrafted in 2010. Blount ended up in Tampa one day after the Titans cut him. His rookie season can certainly be construed as a success as he became just the second undrafted player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards as a rookie.
