AP

When news broke that the 49ers are shopping running back LaMichael James, it may have come as a surprise to some. But not to James.

Shortly after the reports surfaced of the 49ers trying to trade him, James hinted in a series of messages on Twitter that he saw it coming. His first tweet after the news broke was, “When old news become new news.” He then retweeted a series of tweets from fans saying that James would benefit from a fresh start.

So it sure sounds like James will spend 2014 somewhere other than San Francisco. That’s not a big surprise, as the 49ers gave James just 12 carries last year behind Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, and this year they’re adding Marcus Lattimore to the mix.

The only question is where James will end up. Philadelphia is an obvious connection because Chip Kelly was James’s college coach at Oregon, but the Eagles don’t much need James, considering that they already have LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles and Bryce Brown at running back.

Perhaps some team will like James enough as a return man to give up a late-round pick for him, but it’s also possible that the 49ers won’t be able to find anyone willing to give up anything for James.