The New England Patriots have given out a number of extensions this offseason, including one to running back Rhamondre Stevenson a year before he hits free agency.
This extension, worth $36 million ($17 million guaranteed) over four seasons has been a hot topic since it was announced with some loving the deal while others disagreeing with how much money the running back received.
However, in his weekly "NFL Takeaways" column, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer made some strong arguments for the extension.
Here's what Breer wrote:
"It’s an investment in your young quarterback. A back you can lean on, who can consistently help you get into second-and-6 or third-and-2, is gold. I remember the Atlanta Falcons signing Michael Turner away from the San Diego Chargers in 2008 for that reason, and how it benefited Matt Ryan. That same year, having Ray Rice in Joe Flacco’s rookie class worked wonders for the Baltimore Ravens. Todd Gurley was great for Jared Goff, Nick Chubb really helped Baker Mayfield, and there are plenty of other examples of this if you just look. Having Stevenson will help Drake Maye. Which makes the spend worthwhile. Period.
It’s not that much money. We’ve played this game before, but it’s worth making the point over again: Good running backs have been devalued to the point where they’ve become a value. At receiver, $9 million gets you JuJu Smith-Schuster or Adam Thielen, and not the versions from four years ago. At edge rusher, it’s what the San Francisco 49ers paid for reclamation project Yetur Gross-Matos. So what are we really talking about here? Years ago, a market correction was needed at this position. It happened, and the market is now, well, correct."
A running back can be a quarterback's best friend, especially early in their career. Even with the Patriots, it was evident that Tom Brady leaned heavily on Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk and Corey Dillon in his first few seasons.
Stevenson's ability as both a runner and receiver should help Maye develop and adjust to the game early on.
And, considering the Patriots have so much money to spend and aren't targeting top free agents, they might as well reward one of their own.
