Monday served as another cruel reminder to NFL running backs that they’re playing a devaluing position.
Regardless of how great they are, they’re simply in a period where it’s going to be hard to land a contract that fully reflects their value.
Earlier this offseason, star running backs Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders), Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) and Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) were all assigned the franchise tag. 4:00 p.m. EST Monday was the deadline for teams to reach long-term deals with the players they handed the tag too.
Las Vegas, Dallas and New York all failed to reach agreements on multi-year contracts with their RBs. If they report to their respective teams, the three stars will all play 2023 under the $10.1 million franchise tag.
Citing Spotrac, the @jasrifootball Twitter account noted just how much running backs are being underpaid now. While the average NFL running back makes just $1.81 million, the average salary for a kicker (a far less physically-demanding position) is considerably higher at $2.26 million.
The NFL is a pass-happy league, there’s no doubt about that. But teams still need a balanced offense to win championships in this day and age. It’s certainly not like they can completely ignore the running back position.
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Two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott remains a free agent four months after his release from Dallas. Dalvin Cook, who’s exceeded 1,000 yards rushing in each of the last four years, was released by the Minnesota Vikings last month. He too remains a free agent.
Fair or not, this is the current life of an NFL running back.
Here’s how NFL fans on Twitter felt about the pay discrepancy:
