Nothing inspires confidence in your newly acquired running back like an Eddie Lacy honorary fat clause.

From ESPN:

When Philadelphia Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount hops on the scale in late July, a good chunk of change will be on the line.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Blount can earn $50,000 if he weighs between 240-250 pounds on the team’s reporting day for training camp.

Blount is listed at 6-foot, 250 pounds on the team’s website. At the end of the Eagles’ mandatory minicamp, Blount said he would spend the next five weeks training “wherever I’m at,” noting that he had a lot of moving to do as he makes the transition from New England to Philadelphia. Asked what he weighed, Blount only responded, “I’m gonna be training.”

Not totally unheard, but also just one of those mild red flags that makes you wonder why a team would feel compelled to implement it in the first place. Blount has a bit of a history with his weight, and superior Patriots system runner Dion Lewis called him out last year for eating Wendy’s… though Blount does seem like one of those guys who plays better fat, sort of like Ryan Howard, Bartolo Colon and Al Roker.*

Peter King wrote last year about these clauses can actually be counterproductive:

In the days, hours and even minutes before scheduled weigh-ins, I discovered that players would sit in saunas and steam rooms, run on the treadmill in rubber suits and, among other tactics, use diuretics to drain water weight. Whether they made their target weight or not, these methods would deplete them of strength and glycogen storage for days or weeks to come. Teams should have evolved their approach by now; they could use measurements for body fat or take DEXA scans, which measure bone density. These methods would be more productive and beneficial for both the team and player. This is an area ripe for change.

Blount is that guy in high school walking around in 40 sweatsuits and eating rice trying to make his wrestling weight later that day. Always hated that guy. Then again, they also hated me– I’m 160 fully dressed and dipped in ketchup. There’s a visual… that Blount would probably like to eat.

*JB just joined the club: