Philadelphia Eagles

Walter Thurmond believes a return to Philadelphia seems unlikely

Published Jan. 7, 2016 12:03 p.m. ET

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Walter Thurmond was a critical part to the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary.

His three interceptions not only led the Eagles, it set a career year up for the 28-year-old six-year pro. Prior to this season, Thurmond had just one interception in his entire career.

Thurmond becomes a free agent this offseason, and at 28, this gives him a great chance to cash in on a big deal. And Thurmond doesn't seem too confident that that deal will come from Philadelphia.

"The decision's not up to me at the end of the day," Thurmond told CSN Philadelphia's Andrew Kulp. "Everyone's talking about me wanting to stay. It's not up to me. If you look at the numbers, they only have $17 million in cap space. I mean, do the numbers. It has nothing to do with me. I would love to be here, but (economically), it doesn't work, and I'm just being a realist with the situation."

That would be a significant blow to an already weak Eagles secondary. In addition to his three interceptions, Thurmond also forced two fumbles, and his 52 tackles were the third-most on the team. Thurmond was also responsible for seven pass break ups, and this all came in a year where Thurmond went from a known cornerback to a safety.

A lot can clearly happen between now and the start of NFL free agency. But in order for the Eagles to return Thurmond, they'd have to offer him a large deal, and with other positions that need to be addressed, they may be forced to cut players from other areas to fit Thurmond. Does that make sense from the Eagles perspective? It's just something only they can decide.

Tommy Chalk writes about the NFL and NHL for FOX Sports. You can find him on Twitter @Tommy_Chalk