March 18, 2026
Boston Scott, the 5'6" former Eagle who became known as "The Giant Killer" among fans, announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.
"I thought it would be after a Super Bowl win where I rode off into the sunset," Scott, an NFL running back of six years, wrote in a message posted to his Instagram. "I thought it would be an injury where the cons outweighed the pros on whether or not to continue. I thought it would be my body starting to wear and slow down and it was obvious I lost a step. I thought it would be a situation that presented itself that would be something I could control...
"As a competitor it hurts because it felt like I never got a full season of opportunity to fully showcase everything I'm capable of," Scott continued. "The NFL is an ever changing landscape and if you're on the wrong side of it, it can be damning. I didn't reach the accolades or accomplishments that I felt would've cemented my legacy really at any level of football. But as I've taken time to reflect, there's no better life lesson. You can give everything, leave no stone unturned, and still not reach your goals."
Even so, Eagles fans everywhere will certainly remember him and smile when they do.
Scott was a product of Louisiana Tech, and originally a sixth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Eagles signed him away from their practice squad late into that season, but it took him nearly a year before he was elevated to the active roster and able to get onto the field.
Once he did, though, he found a role.
Scott carried the ball as a shifty and deceptive depth running back for the Eagles over the next several years, and one who, for whatever reason, developed a knack for especially sticking it to the New York Giants whenever the Eagles played their NFC East rival.
Scott, for his career, had 1,295 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, along with 566 more receiving yards and a caught TD.
The Giants were tagged for 422 of those rushing yards, nine of those touchdowns on the ground, 222 of his receiving yards and that lone receiving touchdown across 10 total games.
Fans noticed quickly, and just as quick, the "Giant Killer" nickname stuck – and even carried over into his off-the-field interest in competitive Rocket League.
ARCHIVED: Boston Scott gets a 'Giant Killer' decal in Rocket League
Scott kept managing a spot with the Eagles through the end of the Doug Pederson-Carson Wentz era and on to the breakout of the Nick Sirianni-Jalen Hurts one.
On the way to the Super Bowl in 2022, he ran for 32 yards and a score in the divisional round thrashing of the Giants, then for another 21 yards and a TD in the NFC championship pummeling of the 49ers.
But after the Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, his already limited role diminished coming back for 2023, and by 2024, the Eagles had signed Saquon Barkley and were moving forward with him, Kenny Gainwell, and Will Shipley.
Scott signed on with the Los Angeles Rams in the spring of 2024, but then was released and latched on to the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad before he was eventually released by them, too.
It had been more than two years since Scott played an NFL snap when he announced his retirement on Tuesday.
"There is so much I'm proud of," Scott wrote. "I don't feel sorry for myself in the slightest. There is anger, bitterness, but also joy, and happiness...plenty of things to feel. But even if you work your hardest to accomplish something and fall short, why can't the next that you invest in do great things? There's joy in that too."
And all those highlights against the Giants.
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