You have to respect free agent running back Devonta Freeman for sticking to his contract demands this offseason. If he doesn’t think the money is worth another season in the NFL, then he’s right to be patient — or not play at all. It seems Freeman’s decision not to buckle in contract negotiations led to the Seattle Seahawks landing Carlos Hyde instead of Freeman.
Freeman doesn’t mind waiting until 2021 to get the right deal, if he has to. Problem is, that’s not going to work. He’s likely to struggle just as much with negotiations next offseason, if not more. He’ll be a year older, and a step slower. A one-year break worked for Ricky Williams and Marshawn Lynch, but each of their final seasons prior to their one-year gap was excellent.
The same is not true of Freeman, who finished 2019 at 3.6 yards per carry for 656 yards and two touchdowns. It feels like a long time since he eclipsed 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016. He’s just 28 years old, but there’s reason to believe he’s a declining talent, in part because Ito Smith (4.8) and Brian Hill (4.1) had higher yards per carry last season.
If Freeman wants to prove he’s not in decline, he needs to win a starting job and have a productive season. And even then, he may only get what teams offered him this offseason. After all, Carlos Hyde rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2019 with the Houston Texans after losing his starting job in 2018, and he was willing to accept the deal that Freeman reportedly turned down.
As football is a truly brutal sport, there’s no reason for a player to take a contract which he doesn’t see as fair, particularly in a year when the NFL hopes to conduct a season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Freeman could easily retire, rather than accept the cut-market rates for a veteran running back. But he’s not going to be happy with his deal by waiting.
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