A former Super Bowl champion does not have much sympathy for the state of running backs and the market that has them getting less than other positions.
Former Denver Broncos left guard and current FOX analyst Mark Schlereth, like many ex-NFL players who now comment on the NFL as paid analysts, hasn’t liked what he’s seen from running backs constantly complaining about the state of the market for them.
Schlereth doesn’t want to hear current running backs complaining about the market regarding veteran ball carriers and the position, in general.
“Frankly, I don’t have a lot of sympathy,” Schlereth explained about the situation during a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” as shared by Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing. “You know what? You signed a collective bargaining agreement. You gave the franchise tag. You negotiated things like less practice time. And you negotiate stupid stuff. Hey, I’m part of that. I’m guilty…I was a player, too. I understand it. You negotiate stupid stuff. They know you’re gonna negotiate stupid stuff. It doesn’t really matter. And that’s your own fault.”
“As far as the running backs having a stupid Zoom meeting and complaining and whining about it. It is what it is, that’s the market. So, quit complaining about it.
“I don’t remember any star running backs at the time standing up on their podiums, complaining about how unfair it is that the fullbacks were becoming extinct, as long as they were getting theirs.”
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Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook were released by their former teams this offseason and we are in the midst of training camp and neither player has signed with a team as of yet.
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard all failed to receive long-term contracts before the July 17 deadline for teams to sign franchise-tagged players to such agreements passed.
Teams continue to show that they will not spend big on the position unless the player is truly a special player and that means a handful of players in the league right now.
While quarterback and receiver salaries have skyrocketed, running back contracts have stagnated. Five years ago, the franchise tag for running backs was $12 million, which was higher than it is now. The issue of the devaluation of running backs is them spending three years in college during what could be their prime earning years before becoming eligible for the NFL Draft. Once in the league, top runners like the 2023 first-round selection Bijan Robinson have to sign cost-restrictive rookie deals that also limit their ability to hit free agency for up to five years.
It is pretty much all downhill from there.
