Why Are Running Backs So Underpaid?

as far as the running back market and how we're getting treated right now it's brutal out here man yeah like it's it's terrible we don't position that our production hurts us the most into the Giants I say to my teammates and be like you want me to show you my words you want to show you how much how valuable I am to the team I won't show up the running back Market is currently in shambles and there's been no shortage of top facts voicing their frustrations while every other position is getting paid more each year the largest running back contract was given out over three years ago but how did this happen does the NFL really hate running backs or are they just getting what the position is worth the last team to win a Super Bowl with a player that was a top five rusher in that season was the Patriots as in the 2004 Patriots Corey Dillon before Tom Brady since 2018 the leading rushers on each championship team will shock you five out of well all five were either still on their rookie contracts or were veteran pickups Super Bowl 57 Isaiah Pacheco rookie Super Bowl 56 cam makers rookie contract Super Bowl 55 Leonard fournette a released veteran pickup Super Bowl 54 Damien Williams a vet pickup from 2018. Super Bowl 53 Sony Michelle rookie contract to put it simply the NFL is a passing lead because while none of these most recent Super Bowl winners have had an elite running back they all had a pro bowl All-Pro or even an MVP quarterback the NFL wants big play high-powered offenses and have applied new rules to protect quarterbacks and promote passing specifically the roughing the passer Rule now more than ever favors quarterbacks in 2018 everything changed even the League's top defensive players had something to say about everyone from Harrison Smith to J.J watts said how unrealistic and out of control these rules became as written a player is not allowed to unnecessarily land on a passer with most or all of their weight which is nearly impossible to avoid and often leaves Defenders scratching their heads but it's not just that just sacking the QB has become more difficult because simple contact below the waist or with the helmet is illegal and declared a penalty this gives teams more reason to not run the ball which makes the running back position less valuable and recent NFL contracts prove it star running backs are usually some of the best players in the entire NFL for a couple of years because running backs do not last long in the league which is why massive contracts have come and gone for the position the average NFL running back's career is just two and a half years and commonly for top backs their best play comes in the first few years of their career now quarterbacks and receivers have had no problem securing huge record-breaking contracts every year cop reportedly signing a three-year 80 million dollar extension with a record 75 million guaranteed but the same can't be said for running backs and that's not just a coincidence some of the largest contracts in NFL history for running backs are from previous decades just look at some of the long-term deals with star running backs and the shocking results of these signings number five is Adrian Peterson in 2011 he signed a huge seven-year 96 million dollar deal Minnesota declined the 2017 option due to his health number four Le'Veon Bell in 2019 he signed a four-year 52.5 million dollar deal with the Jets in his second season with the team 2020 he injured his hamstring and was released that same year number three is notorious Todd Gurley in 2018 signed what was the largest contract for an NFL running back ever Todd Gurley who has agreed to a four-year extension this from our Adam schefter it's worth 60 million then just two years later he was released due to injuries number two had arguably the best run with the team that drafted him Ezekiel Elliott in 2019 he signed a massive six-year 90 million dollar deal with the Cowboys he was released by Dallas in 2023 and number one the largest running back contract in NFL history goes to a player who no longer plays for that team he signed with Christian McCaffrey in 2020 he signed a four-year 64 million dollar deal with the pan Panthers and played just a total of 16 regular season games with the team after signing this was due to a shoulder injury in 2020 hamstring and Ankle injuries in 2021 and then was traded to San Francisco in 2022. not only has there not been any new record-breaking running back contract since 2020 not one player out of these top five contracts even made it to the end of their deal with the same team and then they were immediately replaced which takes us to the next point now more than ever it has become easy for NFL teams to find serviceable backs that not only cost less money but also get the job done the next man up mentality has taken a dark turn with young running backs immediately climbing to the top of the lead every year since 2018 at least two of the top five rushers in the entire NFL were still on rookie contracts and that's just the top rushers because being serviceable in the NFL has changed too in 2022 nine out of the 15 backs that surpassed 1 000 yards were all on rookie contracts it's not just that either out of the remaining players that weren't on rookie deals just two made the postseason most successful teams in recent history have spent money in other areas and found capable running backs on the cheap this is why you're seeing a skyrocketing contract numbers for every single position that is not a back and the increased value in Elite quarterbacks because that's really the only position you can build your offense around today recently offense is built around running backs just haven't won Super Bowls but even if a running back is the center of their team's offense there's one massive contract issue working against them the 2023 offseason has been all about the franchise tag for the top backs in the game in a very bad way not only do we start to see them decline but it's an opportunity for teams to go out and draft their replacement but before we discuss the familiar faces dealing with this issue we have to talk about the franchise tag itself because the breakdown does not favor the player once a running back enters the NFL their rookie contracts last four years there is also a fifth year option if they are a first round pick drafted rookie contracts cannot be negotiated and they can't be extended until after their third season and then this is where the franchise tag gets fishy it allows teams to lock up running backs for one year once they complete their rookie contracts they're paid a set salary based on the average of the top five salaries at the position and the player has zero power to refuse this this normally happens when long-term talks fall apart not only that but this can be done in back to back years so teams are able to keep their running backs for the first six to seven years in the league which in most of the cases is their entire Prime that's why you see instances like Todd Gurley or Le'Veon Bell this is actually scary Todd Gurley became an Atlanta Falcon in his sixth NFL season Christian McCaffrey became a 49er in his sixth NFL season Le'Veon Bell became a New York Jet in his sixth NFL playing season and was franchise tagged twice then most recently saquon Barkley he was tagged by the New York Giants because they couldn't agree to a long-term deal guess what season he's going into yup six he ended up agreeing to a short-term deal with a team that wasn't much better Barkley signed a one-year contract which earns him slightly more than the franchise tag the deal guarantees the same amount as the tag 10.1 million with nine hundred thousand dollars in incentives and he could still be tagged again in 2024. teams feel zero need to give running backs long-term deals which is what every single franchise-back is dealing with today this is a running back issue this isn't a saquon Barkley issue as NFL running backs have harshly realized despite Pro Bowl status and talent they can and will be replaced in a split second the 2023 off-season has been hard it's sad reality check two of the top four rushing leaders from the 2022 season and three of the best backs in the league were unable to reach long-term deals and got franchise tagged Barkley Jacobs and Pollard and with Derrick Henry becoming a free agent next season the previous four rushing leaders in the entire league will all be open for work in 2024 as free agents NFL front offices have given a Savage blueprint on team success today making it even more frustrating for people who run the ball according to NFL analyst Matt Miller drafted running back play a mifter good franchise tag him once then draft a new running back which is what teams have started to do they run these backs until the wheels fall off then it's on to the next it's a brutal cycle for a position that has produced so many fan favorites and all-time greats let's just hope for the game's sake that there's a solution in the near future so we can see more great backs for years to come foreign

Channel: BLITZ

Views: 148,382

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Id: fscyKKv5fs8

Length: 8min 53sec (533 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 05 2023