This Day in Eagles History: Frank Gore's Free Agency Jilt That Changed Everything

Eleven years ago today, Eagles fans woke up thinking they had their LeSean McCoy replacement locked up. By the time they went to bed, they'd been left at the altar — and the chain of events that followed might be the most perfectly Chip Kelly sequence in franchise history.

On March 9, 2015, Frank Gore — the San Francisco 49ers legend coming off his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season — agreed in principle to sign with Philadelphia. The deal was reportedly worth $7.5 million guaranteed over the first two years. Nick Foles personally called Gore to welcome him. It was done. The McCoy trade sting was supposed to fade. Philly had its guy.

And then it all fell apart.

Within 24 hours, Gore reversed course and signed with the Indianapolis Colts instead. The explanation, which Gore finally gave years later, is infuriating in its logic — because it was entirely Chip Kelly's fault. Gore watched Foles get traded. He saw Jeremy Maclin leave for Kansas City. DeSean Jackson had already been cut loose to Washington. One by one, the pieces that made Philly attractive were being shipped out by Kelly's roster demolition project.

"I see Nick Foles get traded, I see Maclin go to Kansas City, and they already let DeSean Jackson go," Gore said. "I love the coach, that's my dog Chip Kelly, we still talk. But I just felt like when I saw the pieces leaving, we couldn't win a Super Bowl there."

Read that again. A future Hall of Famer wanted to be an Eagle. He committed. And Chip Kelly's scorched-earth roster moves scared him off before the ink could dry. That's not bad luck — that's organizational malpractice.

The fallout? Philadelphia pivoted to Plan B: signing DeMarco Murray away from the hated Dallas Cowboys on a five-year, $42 million deal. On paper, it looked like a win. Murray had just led the league in rushing with 1,845 yards. In reality, it was a disaster. Chip Kelly's system was a terrible fit. Murray averaged a putrid 3.6 yards per carry, looked miserable on the sideline, and was shipped to Tennessee the following March. A $42 million mistake, gone in one season.

Meanwhile, Gore went to Indy and rattled off nearly 3,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in three years. Because of course he did. He's Frank Gore. The man was indestructible.

The silver lining? The entire Chip Kelly era — the trades, the busts, the arrogance — was the necessary fire that forged what came next. Kelly got fired after the 2015 season. Doug Pederson arrived. Carson Wentz was drafted. And two years later, Nick Foles — the same guy who called Gore to welcome him — led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. You can't script it better than that.

So today, on the 11th anniversary of the Gore jilt — and with the 2026 legal tampering period opening at noon — raise a glass to the one that got away. March 9 has a way of shaking things up in Eagles free agency history. Let's see what this year brings.