Running backs across the NFL took to social media on Monday to express their discontent with the way the RB position is currently viewed and being paid after four elite backs were not able to strike deals with their teams yesterday.
Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler and Tony Pollard are all Pro Bowl-level players that will now hit a tough free-agent market next offseason after failing to meet yesterday’s deadline to reach a long-term deal.
Former Alabama RB, Jacobs, was reportedly so close to reaching a deal that he was waiting in the Raiders parking lot with teammate Maxx Crosby, but ultimately the deal fell through.
Ekeler is entering the final year of his contract with the Chargers who have essentially said they are unwilling to negotiate and will let him walk next offseason, while the other three guys have been franchise tagged and will become unrestricted free agents next summer.
From the team’s perspective, while Saquon or Jacobs may be great, you can find around 85% of the production for around 15% of the cost. Teams have found a lot of success drafting the RB position in later rounds of the draft so they don’t see a reason to go pay an elite guy $15 million when you can draft a player for $1 million. If you look back at the Super Bowl winners over the past decade, almost none of them feature a Pro Bowl-level back outside of Marshawn Lynch with the Seahawks in 2014 as wide receivers have become much more of a necessity.
All that being said, running backs play a massive role in their team’s success and deserve to be paid accordingly. Jacobs and Barkley both have been the face of the franchise type of guys and deserve to be rewarded for all they have done for their franchises. Below, the NFL world came to defend the position together: