The National Football League is telling you straight up how they feel about the value of running backs in today’s league. And if you ask me, personally, I find it downright disheartening.
The deadline for franchise-tagged players to work out long-term deals with their respective teams has officially come and gone. Of the various players that were tagged this offseason, three players were left without deals. Normally, not a HUGE deal; however, there’s a common denominator that exists between these aforementioned players.
They all play running back.
Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys all ended up drawing the short straw, and it’s caused a lot of controversy on Twitter. All this comes on the heels of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon reportedly taking a pay cut in order to remain with the team. Despite the fact that he put up over 1200+ scrimmage yards, including a career high 441 receiving yards.
Barkley, whose tag is worth $10.091 million, appears to have voiced his displeasure by tweeting “It is what it is”. The question that remains is when, or even if, he’ll sign the tag. Colts star Jonathan Taylor wasn’t quiet about the treatment of his fellows, either. And honestly, I don’t blame them for feeling how they do. Most RBs today rarely see a long-term extension after their rookie deal is up. They’re either allowed to test the open market, or they’re traded in their contract years.
Taking a look at the current market for running backs, there are still plenty of notable names still floating about in free agency. Names such as Ezekiel Elliot, Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, Kenyan Drake, Kareem Hunt, and James Robinson. At the end of the day, it’s simple supply & demand. There are simply too many good running backs, with versatile skill sets, to choose from.
From Up to the Minute on @NFLNetwork: Along with a discussion of Tony Pollard playing on the tag, let's take a look at the lengths the #Giants went to sign Saquon Barkley to a long-term deal. pic.twitter.com/4BoxLj5BjJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 17, 2023
In the end, three franchise-tagged players received long-term deals this offseason:
🏈Lamar Jackson: 5-years, $260M
🏈Daron Payne: 4-years, $90M
🏈Evan Engram: 3-years, $41.25MNo long-term deals for franchise players Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2023
It is what it is
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 17, 2023
Wow.
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) July 17, 2023
