Three of the league's marquee running backs were supposed to be setting the table for major extensions at the position. Instead, the deadline to reach an extension on franchise-tagged players came and went, and Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard remained on the tag without a new deal.
Barkley, Jacobs and Pollard had franchise tags placed on them following the end of the 2022 season. The Giants, Raiders and Cowboys had until 4 p.m. ET on Monday to reach agreements for long-term deals with their star running backs. Instead, Barkley, Jacobs and Pollard will now have only the options to sign and play on the one-year franchise tag or hold out during the 2023 season. They will not be able to reach extensions until after the season.
Barkley took to Twitter after the deadline passed to share his concise thoughts on the situation.
It is what it is
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 17, 2023
MORE: Dalvin Cook highlights top available free agents
And Barkley wasn't the only running back to voice his concerns at what was happening at the position. Several of the league's best running backs weighed in on the lack of deals for the three backs.
At this point , just take the RB position out the game then . The ones that want to be great & work as hard as they can to give their all to an organization , just seems like it don’t even matter . I’m with every RB that’s fighting to get what they deserve . https://t.co/OgvBWZCKvn
— Derrick Henry (@KingHenry_2) July 17, 2023
Wow.
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) July 17, 2023
1. If you’re good enough, they’ll find you.
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) July 17, 2023
2. If you work hard enough, you’ll succeed.
…If you succeed…
3. You boost the Organization
…and then…
Doesn’t matter, you’re a RB https://t.co/mG6In1ATGg
I agree with my running back brothers around the NFL- history will show that you need running backs to win- we set the tone every game and run trough walls for our team and lead in many ways- this notion that we deserve less is a joke. https://t.co/rWJkGIEgmW
— Najee Harris (@ohthatsNajee22) July 17, 2023
This is Criminal. Three of the best PLAYERS in the entire league, regardless of position. https://t.co/zDXRS5cGdu
— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) July 17, 2023
This is the kind of trash that has artificially devalued one of the most important positions in the game. Everyone knows it’s tough to win without a top RB and yet they act like we are discardable widgets. I support any RB doing whatever it takes to get his bag. https://t.co/sRYfAKwrpQ
— Austin Ekeler (@AustinEkeler) July 17, 2023
This offseason has been a particularly troubling one for running backs. Three standout running backs — Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette — were cut by their teams at the end of the offseason. Those three, along with Kareem Hunt, are among the notable current free agent running backs. Joe Mixon had to take a pay cut from the Bengals in order to avoid being a post-June 1 cut. Aaron Jones also took a pay cut from the Packers. Austin Ekeler saw extension talks with the Chargers fizzle out, leading to him requesting a trade.
“I kind of got punched in the face when the Chargers basically said we don’t want to talk about extensions anymore," Ekeler said on SiriusXM's Fantasy Sports Radio. "This is an organization I continue to rise and hit new heights in and continue to add more value, right? I've scored the most touchdowns from scrimmage in the past two years."
MORE: NFL's highest-paid running backs in salary, guarantees, total contract value
Though there were several running backs who signed new deals with teams this offseason, the market for running backs has gone drastically down in recent years. As quarterbacks, defensive tackles, wide receivers and offensive linemen are signing larger and larger deals, running backs seem to be finding a market for long-term deals more difficult to find.
Only Christian McCaffrey (four years, $64,063,500; $16,015,875 average annual value) and Alvin Kamara (five years, $75 million; $15 million average annual value) are signed to extensions that will average at least $15 million per year. Seven quarterbacks average three times that in AAV and all of the top 100 players in AAV, per Spotrac, are above McCaffrey's $16.01 million average. McCaffrey ranks 104.
There are certainly reasons for why the running back market has become an increasingly challenging place to find a player-friendly deal. For starters, because the players are smaller and are involved in physical plays almost constantly throughout a game, they tend to break down faster. PFF found that running backs generate about 58 percent of their value (wins above replacement) at age 25 or younger, an age range that would account for almost exclusively the rookie contract. No other position was above 45 percent.
Then there's the fact that Super Bowl-winning teams almost never have running backs that account for more than a few million dollars. The Chiefs winning it all last year with seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco just adds to that.
Take a look at the leading rusher from the last 13 Super Bowls and their base salary: pic.twitter.com/oP6ZRh7uES
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 14, 2022
MORE: Could Barkley could hold on signing franchise tag?
Jacobs, Barkley and Pollard are heading into their age-25, 26 and 26 seasons, respectively. A season ago, Jacobs ranked first in total rushing yards, Barkley ranked fourth and Pollard ranked 16th despite playing in a committee with Elliott. That the three of them were unable to come to extensions is surprising, though a reflection of the difficult market for the position.
If the three of them are having a hard time reaching extensions, it's no wonder other players at the position are frustrated by the direction in which teams are headed in how they value running backs.
