Eagles should retire LeSean McCoy, Tommy McDonalds 25 jersey twice NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date: 2024-05-04

LeSean McCoy signed a one-day contract to retire as a Philadelphia Eagle last Friday. He ends his career as the team’s all-time leading leader in rushing yards (6,792) and yards per carry (4.6).

NBC Sports Philadelphia's resident Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ray Didinger, had a brilliant idea with regard to Shady’s No. 25 jersey: not only should the team retire it for McCoy, but also for it’s greatest-ever receiver, Tommy McDonald, who also happened to wear No. 25.

Amid a franchise with some great running backs, McCoy stands head and shoulders above them all. He holds the single-season record for rushing yards (1,607) and yards from scrimmage (2,146). He and Brian Westbrook are the only players to gain more than 9,000 yards from scrimmage in their Eagles career. And only Shady and Ricky Watters averaged more than 100 yards from scrimmage a game as an Eagle.

For those of you who weren’t around when Tommy McDonald played for the Eagles, he was the home run threat at wide receiver long before DeSean Jackson was even born.

He made six Pro Bowls, and over the course of his 12-year career – seven of those with the Eagles – he had 84 TD catches, 18 more than any other receiver. He averaged 19.2 yards a catch as an Eagle, more than any other, and two yards per catch more than DeSean.

Oh yeah, he also caught a 35-yard TD to help the Birds win the NFL Championship in 1960, handing Vince Lombardi the only postseason loss of his career.

He was the chief offensive weapon, and he still got his – 66 TD catches in 88 games as an Eagle. That’s insane. He ranks second on the team’s all-time list to another Hall of Famer, Harold Carmichael. Carmichael had 79 TD catches as an Eagle – in 180 games.

For a team that so values its rich history, this is an absolute no-brainer. This would be a move that bonds generations of Eagles fans, from the Franklin Field faithful, all the way up to the legions at the Linc.

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