In a recent TMZ Post, Darren Sproles, who retired last season said that he feels he is a Hall of Famer.

That probably won’t happen.

This is not a shot on Sproles, who played 14 seasons with stops in San Diego, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.  Despite what Deion Sanders said a few weeks ago, the threshold for enshrinement is very high.  A three-time Pro Bowl Selection, Sproles was a multi-faceted offensive dynamo. On the ground, he rushed for 3,552 Yards and 23 Touchdowns.  In the air, he caught 553 Receptions for 4,840 Yards and 32 Touchdowns. That gives him a very good total of 8,392 Yards from Scrimmage and 55 Touchdowns, but that tally doesn’t take into account his Special Teams play.

In that category, Sproles had 2,961 Punt Return Yards, 8,352 Kick Return Yards, 9 Return Touchdowns, and when you put it all together, he has 19,696 All-Purpose Yards, placing him fifth all-time.  From 2008 to 2011, Sproles had at least 2,200 All-Purpose Yards, and he would lead that category with 2,696 in 2011 when he was a Saint.  That is an all-time record for a single season.  

Despite the high amount of Yards from Scrimmage he had, the Hall will likely view him primarily as a returner, and if that is the case, Special Teams players have a real hard time getting inducted.

He is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025, and will definitely be on our future Notinhalloffame.com list, but the Hall will likely elude the former Super Bowl champion.

We wouldn’t mind one bit if we are wrong!

The NFL season is not yet over, but we have a significant retirement that was announced today.  Darren Sproles of the Philadelphia Eagles, who is out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, announced that he will officially call it a career.

A fourth round pick from Kansas State in 2005, Sproles was mostly used as a Kick Returner as a rookie.  He missed all of 2006 due to an ankle injury, and returned as the team’s primary returner, a role he held until 2010.  The Chargers would gradually use him more in their offense, and he would see a 59 reception year in 2010, his last in Southern California.

Next up for Sproles was the New Orleans Saints, where he was again the primary returner, but would also see career highs in Rushing Yards (603), and Receiving Yards (710), and he would lead the NFL in All-Purpose Yards.  He would have at least 600 Receiving Yards the next two seasons.

Sproles would join the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, and while he saw less of a role in the offense, he would be named to the Pro Bowl the next three seasons as a Punt Returner.  He would finish first in Punt Return Yards in 2014 and 2015.  Sproles was a member of the Eagles Super Bowl LII win, the first in franchise history.

Sproles retires with 3,553 Rushing Yards, 4,840 Receiving Yards, 32 Touchdowns, and 19,696 All-Purpose Yards.  That last stat places him fifth all-time in NFL history. He is a member of the 50^thAnniversary All-Time team, and he holds the New Orleans Saints record for the most All-Purpose Yards in a season (2,696 in 2011).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Sproles for the many memories on the gridiron.  We wish him the best in his post-playing career.  

Darren Sproles was nicknamed “The Lightning Bug” and it was an absolute joy to watch the 5’ 6” Running Back frustrate opposing tacklers on a weekly basis.