NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The NFL has drama on its hands. Well, certain teams have drama on their hands. Following the situation this offseason with RBs and the Franchise Tag, retired and current players have spoken out regarding how teams have devalued the position.
In all fairness, it’s true. However, there is a good reason for that especially when it comes to the backs this season and why they didn’t get paid as they feel they should have.
Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Tony Pollard were all hit with the tag and neither were able to come to terms with a longer contact. While Pollard signed his tender, he did so knowing that he didn’t have much to bring to the table as far as negotiations. However, for Jacobs and Barkley, they were expecting more.
Since they didn’t get what they felt they deserved, it has turned attention to how important are RBs now in the NFL?
Let’s get this out of the way now. RBs are vital to a team’s success. However, the NFL is short on Barry Sanders and Emmit Smith-type backs but not shout on Larry Johnson and Terrell Davis-type backs. Emmit and Barry had careers you could count on yearly. They did it without hiccups. While Larry and Terrell had a few good years and that was all she wrote.
This is the real issue with paying RBs. Look at what’s happening with the Minnesota Vikings and Dalvin Cook. He still has fresh legs but his salary is extremely too high. There was also talk of the Tennessee Titans moving Derrick Henry and his contract. Over in Indianapolis, it’s the same thing with Jonathan Taylor. After an explosive season in 2022, Taylor caught the injury bug in 2022 and played only 11 games, and rushed for 861 yards.
Miles Sanders was looking for a huge payday this offseason but signed with the Carolina Panthers for $25M over 4 years. And this was after he rushed for over 1200 yards last season. So why didn’t a guy like that get paid?
That’s easy to answer.
Sanders is 4 seasons into his NFL career and last season was his first 1000-yard campaign. Sanders has also been hampered by injuries during his time with the Eagles. As for Jacobs, he’s the one player on this list who actually has a legit argument.
Yes, all 3 players were huge reasons for their respective team’s success but GMs must take into account the fluke phase. Barkley has been in the league 5 years and has been injured more than we can count. With his workload, the Giants have every reason to be worried that he may be sidelined again.
How Much Should You Pay RBs
You cannot swap out a QB for 1st down then replace him with another for the next 2 and expect continued success (just ask the New Orleans Saints). The same for receivers. Remove Justin Jefferson and the Vikings are not the same team. But you can replace a stud back for a down with one that can catch and get similar results.
When was the last time the leading rusher in the NFL won a Super Bowl? When was the last time a leading rusher won MVP (2012)? Teams that are winning are using more than one RB. Think about that. As good as Barkley, Jacobs, Cook, and Henry are, the teams that are winning are the teams that enter the playoffs with fresh bodies.
It’s hard to rely on the strength of your back after they have carriers the ball 300+ times in the regular season. By the time the playoffs hit, they’re tired and bruised.
Look at the success of the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs last season. 2 teams with multiple backs both made the Super Bowl. The season before that, it was the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. Both teams used more than one back. You can continue down this list and the numbers won’t lie. Relying on a single back who makes a ton of money does not result in winning championships.
It’s so much easier to draft a RB in the 3rd-5th rounds and pair him with a Sanders (Miles) than it is to pay Sanders $13M per. This is not a QB we’re talking about.
The RB position is important but not to the point people are making it out to be. $10M is a good rate for a player who will give you 3-4 good years. By the time backs are 26-27, the injuries start to hit. And if you have a good one, you want to preserve him for the playoff run.
Injuries are a part of the game. RBs get injured just like QBs, WRs, DBs, and everyone else. It’s hard to gauge what you should pay a RB. Other backs are looking at Henry, Cook, and Christian McCaffrey and thinking they should be in that realm. Maybe they should or maybe they should go and look at the teams that paid them that money in the first place. Cook is no longer with the Vikings. McCaffrey is no longer with the Carolina Panthers. And neither player has been to a Super Bowl either.
While retired RBs will stand in solidarity with the current backs, these also know that deep down, they are not the same players. There is no Jerome Bettis in the NFL at the moment. There are no Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith clones either. These new crop of RBs are good for a few years then they’re out the league and sometimes we don’t even know it.
We understand the motto of “get your money while you can.” Sanders (Miles) got $5M+ per this offseason. He came from a team that almost won the Super Bowl and he rushed for over 1200 yards with 11 TDS. Barkley has a sketchy resume and yet, he has his hand out. Pollard had a great year but he was used with Ezekiel Elliott in a two-back set. No one knows if he can carry the load as a primary back yet.
The highest-paid RB in the game now is McCaffrey ($16M) followed by Alvin Kamara ($15M), Henry ($12.5M), Nick Chubb ($12.2), and then Aaron Jones ($12M) followed by the 2023 tagged players. All in all, the only player with a real gripe here is Jacobs. He should be paid. He’s been the most consistent of them. But where does he rank among the players above him?
$10M. Sign the tender and prove it in back-to-back years. Because if their respective teams shell out that cash and they get hurt or underperform, the same people saying pay then will be the same people asking “why did you pay them knowing their history?”
This is how it goes.
