At one point during the NFL, the running back position was one of the most coveted spots that teams wanted to make sure they were set at, but just like all things in sports, it can quickly change.
The league’s star runners are struggling to successfully find lucrative contracts as teams continue to devalue their position.
During an interview this week with Jim Rome on CBS Sports Radio, Melvin Gordon said the worst position to play is definitely running back.
“It’s just so tough for running backs right now, man,” Gordon said. “You have a lot of running backs that’s out there and we just don’t get no love. It’s literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks.”
Gordon himself was never at the level of a superstar running back, but he still felt the residual effects over his career.
He thinks one running back’s contract reset the market in a negative way.
“I think after Todd (Gurley) got paid, and Sean McVay came out and said that ‘I’ll never pay a running back again,’ and then I think they won the Super Bowl, everybody just followed suit,” Gordon said.
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It’s not often you hear a player say that his position ‘sucks,’ but it’s clear Gordon is frustrated with what is going on with him and what he has been noticing with other running backs in the league.
Unless your name is Christian McCaffrey or Derrick Henry, it’s almost impossible to get a big contract.
NFL teams have found that they can get almost the same production from a young, cheap running back as they can from an established name so they are making sure to save money by doing so. You basically have to be a superstar running back to get paid.
History is also not on their side as high-priced running backs just haven’t been a part of the Super Bowl-winning formula for most teams. Since 2010, the leading rusher on the Super Bowl-winning team has an average base salary of under $1.2 million.
This situation may only get worse as the years go on.
