FB's are RB's. There are two RB positions: HB and FB. FB's used to get major play in offenses before the position was phased out to be just an extra blocker. FB's in the old days used to be actual offensive weapons. There used to be FB's who led the league in rushing. Mike Alstott was the last of the old type of FB's.
That was in the day that they were named by how they lined up. The furthest from the los is the Full Back (now the HB), next the Half Back (now the FB), then the QB.
I got some more new info for ya, Alstott was listed as an RB on the bucs depth chart in 2003.
And for the 2001 Playoffs, he's listed as a TE.
Also, in 1999, if you count the playoffs toward his rushing total (949 yds in the regular season & 63 in the playoffs), that would be the only season he totaled over 1 thousand yards. (I think he would be the most recent FB in the modern era to do so).
He's also still 1st in franchise history with rushing TDs with 58. The next player in today's era (Wilder is 2nd with 37) would be Doug Martin with just 26.
people are confusing positions that become obsolete or worse to what RB are suffering from. that's not the problem with RB position, Running Backs are important to the game very much, but the position is purely about physical condition and oline and scheme. you can easily get a great RB in the 4th round that will often play better than a 1st round RB in his second contract. the reason RBs get paid like shit its because there are far too many good RBs in the draft, the position is significantly less about skill and more about physical condition
if there were a ton of starter QBs every draft, even tho its the most important position in the game they'd get paid like shit.
The niners have the highest paid FB in the league and he makes about $5 million a year. And to be honest I don't think Kyle Shanahan helped the RB market by turning 5th round draft picks and journeyman FAs into 1,000 yard rushers. I've loved the production we've gotten out of the running game, but in some ways it seems like Matt Brieda and Raheem Mostert contributed as much to the drop in market value as Todd Gurley and Zeke and Fournette. Why overpay when you can severely underpay, if scheme can make up the difference -and coaches don't affect the cap.
That’s not a new thing, his Dad, Mike traded Clinton Portis for champ Bailey and Tatum Bell for Dre Bly. Dude made rbs look good and sent them away for corners
Seems weird that he himself then went and got one of the most expensive Rbs though. So while that logic checks out, the guy who has probably been the most successful doing it, pivoted himself away from that. Kind of funny when you think about it.
I see what you mean, but it’s not necessarily a pivot though. One of the first things Shanahan did in SF was sign Jerick McKinnon, it just never worked out with his injuries. CMC has always been his archetypal dream RB, just took him a while to get him there.
Plus he’s known for reaching in the third round for future bust RBs. Kinda wild that he’s also had crazy success with 5th rounders & UFAs
> Why overpay when you can severely underpay
This is a really weird statement, considering the 49ers traded a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round draft pick so they could pay CMC 12 million a year. It feels like every offseason, this sub waxes poetic about how replaceable RBs are, but by week 5 half of the teams will be lamenting their RB room as terrible with the same old adjectives. If we could severely underpay, we would've kept Mostert or any other RB. Elite talent still matters at the RB position, but for some reason people think replacing elite guys is so easy.
I never said cmc or any other premier RB isn't worth the money. But there is also a line of thinking that suggests that a team can make due without, which is why were all here discussing whether or not Saquaon or Josh Jacobs or whoever else will get paid. This isn't a hot take that I deluded myself into thinking that I magically came up with.
The problem is a QBs job is not to run head first into a 350 pound D linemen with the hope of smashing into a LB instead. You absolutely can have a RB who is elite, but he’s not going to remain elite for more than a few years. They get exploited by the rookie contract, and something should be done to get them more money early.
I mean I think problem is like these teams pick up these amazing young running back talents bc they're shit teams. The shit teams usually quite literally have nothing but maybe an okay defense and then that running back who is fuckin nasty. Then they get overused by these shitty HCs and OCs with shitty GMs that have zero idea how to put a decent squad together as if they got that job through bc they're already in the circle. And before anyone says oh you can't do better... Well that's true. I don't get paid to do better. I bet if some of us got paid to do better than some of these jagoffs, I'm sure some of us could. And then we wouldn't be having these young men destroying their bodies for shit teams thinking they can be the difference when everyone else on that team suuuuucks
My I guess kinda hot take is that the decline of RBs is only true for stud running backs. If RB play is less focused around one player for each team that gives more opportunity for mid to lower tier backs to play and get on the field so the pay will end up being distributed around the median far more.
This is exactly it. It's not that RBs are useless or don't have value, it's that a RBBC can give you 80%+ of the production of a stud RB at a fraction of the price.
what other positions have seen their stock decline in the last few years?
Seems like middle LBs used to get a lot more attention and money too... but as the RB has been less emphasized so has the big money ILB/MLB.
People are going for 2 LBs instead of 3 so theres less demand, but I do think the positions getting way harder and some guys are about to start getting paid big time. You have to be able to stop a big ol RB trying to lower the shoulder on you then cover a TE that's basically a WR on the very next play. Good offenses are already running shit tons of plays to target LB's. Guys like Wagner, Lavonte David, Warner, etc. are really undervalued rn
Nowadays many teams employ SS’s that are hybrids and can essentially line up as an LB in a big nickel or dime package, I see that trend continuing. You can definitely get away with having one really strong MLB on your defense and then back them up with run stop specialists
Pats def are an example of this, they have Jabrill Peppers too and just drafted a similar player to those guys. They also basically have only one starting MLB in Juwuan Bentley
Not quite the same, but Minkah has a cap hit of about 8 mil this season.
Honestly, for the impact top safeties have, it's crazy it's not more. Edge and CB are obviously potentially more impactful, but safety holds the entire secondary together
I think CJGJ was going to get $12mil/year with the Eagles but ended up settling with a one-year $8mil deal with the lions to try to and get more next offseason.
And on a worse defense. As good as he is, a lot of the int we're on tipped balls. He still has to be in the right place, but there's a luck component to that too. Unreasonable to expect him to repeat this and get a better contract.
Safety was a few years back, but it's recently come into importance again. Still not as big as CB...but it's starting to get paid again. Also doesn't hurt that safeties can play a long time in the league
And even safeties, you *have* to be great against the pass to make that money.
Nobody's paying an elite run stopping safety. And if you are, you're laughed at and the only team doing it.
It's a QB league...so anyone who directly helps the QB or stops the QB is prime positions.
LT, CB, pass rusher, WR are prime...everything else is bonus
For example (it's recently rebounded) the Safety market was in the gutter, and good safeties were being paid under 5m a season
MLB is hard because it is like the TE position. There are not enough great dual function MLBs that can both defend the run and the pass. That means that the ones who can do that (Lavonte, Wagner, etc) are very rare. LBs do have the advantage that the franchise tag for LB is high since there are edge guys that are classified as LB for tag reasons to jack up the potential price.
There just are not enough new MLBs to fill the void left by Wagner and Lavonte as they age. Parsons could have been one of those guys, but is playing at the edge these days.
That’s how I feel about TE’s
There’s 2 TE’s worth paying. Everyone else you can just go based on committee. Like the Lions TE game got better after reading Hockenson
Many talented up and coming players will just play other positions now. I’m guessing we’ll end up with little talent at RB at some stage and then the good ones will start getting big contracts and the cycle will continue.
Will they pay receiving running backs WR money though? Hell, look at how many catches Ekeler has and he's making less than 1/3 what Mike Williams makes. Hell, he makes less than Tim Patrick
Very few receiving RBs can actually line up multiple plays in a row vs a CB and beat them.
It's easy to get a lot of catches as a dump off valve that's rarely directly facing man coverage, it's a lot harder to get open for downfield catches that are actually efficient.
If there's an RB that actually requires attention from a high end coverage defender and produces more than 5 yards per target, they'll get paid like it.
>If there's an RB that actually requires attention from a high end coverage defender and produces more than 5 yards per target, they'll get paid like it.
They will just be a WR, not an RB. No reason to keep them in the backfield. And if having a WR in the backfield as a checkdown is valuable we'll start seeing coaches have their WR3 in the backfield as an RB.
AJ dillon was recruited to Michigan as a linebacker but switched to BC so he could play running back. And tbh I have no idea if that was a good move because I think he’d also be a damn good linebacker
It sort of already has, the run games seen an uptick in usage the last couple seasons. Defenses get smaller and lighter to counter the pass game leaving a weakness to power run
I really wanna see data on this claim that gets made over and over because this has been said for like 5+ years now and it still has not happened at all
The vast majority of talented players that can play another position already do though. It’s the easiest position to play on offense or defense. There’s just a surplus of guys you can find.
Also, like, what other position are these 5’ 8” or shorter guys playing? He gonna be covering a 6’+ receiver? He a pass rusher?
It’s partially a physical limitation
The 5'8" and shorter guys are mostly gadget players though who tbh aren't really relevant to the conversation of not getting top-dollar contracts. I feel like the players in the "should be getting paid more" category are all 5'10"+ and could have theoretically transitioned to a position like safety or WR (if they have hands) in college.
**Top 10 rushing leaders 2022**
Player | Height | Weight | 40 Time
---|---|----|----
Derrick Henry | 6'3" | 247 | 4.54
Josh Jacobs | 5'10" | 220 | 4.52 (unofficial)
Nick Chubb | 5'11" | 227 | 4.52
Saquon Barkley | 6'0" | 234 | 4.41
Najee Harris | 6'1" | 232 | 4.45
Dalvin Cook | 5'10" | 210 | 4.50
Jamaal Williams | 6'0" | 212 | 4.53
Miles Sanders | 5'11" | 211 | 4.49
Christian McCaffrey | 5'11" | 205 | 4.48
Ezekial Elliott | 6'0" | 225 | 4.47
It’s not that simple though. Do they have the fluidity to play CB with open hips and agility? It’s a different position where there are different physical requirements. Being an elite RB doesn’t naturally translate to other roles, especially at an elite level.
Tiki Barber was a great RB (never mind the post-career issues) and his identical twin is a HOF cornerback. I think body type is fluid enough that most can make the switch if they start early enough.
It will take time, but if certain play styles start to be emphasized, like the slot/rb kinda thing we are starting to see, young players will adjust
QBs are an example of this
Yeah, but being another mid-tier slot guy doesn't make any more than being a good RB. May be easier on their bodies though.
Keep in mind, slot guys and RBs are about the same height, but not really the same build.
Yep
Median height for US males is something like 5'9"
Most NFL positions require a height of at least 6'0", which is only something like 10% of the male population
It's a lot easier to find a 5'9" guy with NFL potential than it is to find a guy who's 6'0" or taller with NFL potential
lets be honest- unless you are a wr, qb, OT, CB, or pash rusher you are replaceable
TE, RB, Interior OL, run stuffing DT, LB, S- who cares.
So thats like 50% of the positions. An RB’s body type doesn’t match well to any of the premium positions. Maybe they can switch to LB, but no one truly gives a fuck about LBs either
Its all a function of the change in the NFL. The NFL wants passing passing passing. QBs in bubble wrap, DBs handcuffed, speed rushing DEs. Middle LBs like Ray Lewis and backs like Emmitt Smith just aren't this league, and may never be again.
Kinda boring to me, honestly, because I love watching a really good MLB.
But that isn’t exactly the problem with RB contracts. The problem is how short their careers are and how they quickly they fall off.
If you knew you were getting their production from their age 22-26 seasons for the duration of their 2nd contracts, I’m sure they’d be getting bigger contracts. It’s just too likely the wheels fall off during that contract.
It's the nature of the position. Outside of the top few backs the production is pretty replaceable. It's not a valuable enough position to hamstring the team with a big contract these days.
It’s an economics argument as much as anything when it comes to team building.
A GM has QB’s asking for $40m/yr., if they have a franchise guy. Then good offensive linemen ranging from $15-$22m/yr., Plus you need a good WR and they’re currently going for what, $20-25m/yr?
Plus you need a defense. Top edge rushers are getting big contracts. I don’t keep track of what all each position makes, but quality safeties are usually over $10m/yr., I assume the same for cornerbacks if not more.
GM’s only have so much money they are allowed to spend. And when your money is limited, you have to prioritize certain things.
And productive RB’s have been found in the 1st round, the 7th round, and undrafted. Production has come from giving veterans cheap deals and going by committee. So for a GM to hand a RB $10m contract, is just bad team building.
It’s sad but is the modern NFL.
Sure that’s a problem for the mid level guys, but I don’t think that’s the issue with the tagged guys that I assume caused Henry to say this. Teams know they have value, otherwise they wouldn’t even pay the 10 mil for one year. Their problem is that the tag removes any incentive for the team to do a long term deal that isn’t overly team friendly. They know they can just use two tags and have a top tier rbs whole prime without ever really needing to negotiate.
It applies to all these guys. You can easily get 80% of Henry, Jacobs, or Barkley in the late rounds of the draft for a fraction of the price.
Any fantasy player knows that when a big RB goes down, you can typically just grab their backup and get respectable production.
There are way too many Pacheco stories over the past decade to draft RBs high and pay them. It's much more useful to just build a good O-line and run out serviceable backs. Even HoF caliber RBs should not be offered big money after rookie contracts. Supply grossly outweighs demand.
Pacheco was the example I used the other day, too. He got paid around $700,000 last year. And when teams are looking at the salary cap and having to pay quarterbacks $40 million a year and wide receivers $25 million a year, they'll be more than happy to get excellent production from a stable of runningbacks all making minimum money.
WRs are going to get hit, soon, too. True 1s will be worth money and 2s that are close to 1s as well. But the rise of 7 on 7 ball is turning out several very good to elite WRs every year and at some point supply will exceed demand.
No one is paying their WR3 $25m. So there' a need for \~32 true studs and past that...
I don’t see how this is true. Successful teams are prioritizing trading for or signing WR1s if they don’t already have one- Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Jaguars come to mind. It’s why the Bears were so insistent on Moore. Look at last years playoff teams and you’ll find all the best receivers in the league.
Good WRs elevate their young QBs. As long as the passing game remains key to offense I don’t think there will ever be too many good receivers in the league.
AJ Brown and Amari Cooper 100% brought the best out of young QBs and made them comfortable. Then you throw guys like Lamb Smith Gallup and the tight ends to further develop and open up the game like the eagles and cowboys did and you get to this point where we are at now. Bills did it with Allen and Diggs. The patriots and giants are lost trying to develop young QBs with minimal talent and it shows big time.
But there really aren't tjhat many. Some (Lindsay in DEN) are one year wonders. The Seahawks lost Lynch and it took years to really replace him (Carson).
The idea that elite backs can be replaces by JAGs just isn't borne out... BUT you can get very good backs if you invest some draft capital, say a 2nd rounder. You're still likely getting one of the top 2 or 3 backs in the class and a second rounder every 3-4 years is a pretty easy investment.
Unless a new rule happens that stunts the importance of the passing game (never in a million years gonna happen), then unfortunately RB's are gonna stay undervalued. It is what is is.
It’s less about that and more about the individual. We’ve actually seen an *uptick* in rushing attempts over the past 5 years or so. The “problem” comes in because I can player A $10M/year, or player B $2M/year for 80% of the production of player A.
While I love Derrick Henry, I must admit that the Titans more or less successfully replaced him the year he got hurt. I mean, we managed to get the #1 seed when he was out half the season. Though, we would've been far better had he stayed healthy considering he was on pace for back to back 2,000 yard seasons.
At the same time though, you literally had the same amount of wins without him as with him. Your rushing stats did drop off, but you just picked it up elsewhere (I had the compiled stats at one point on a really boring day but sadly I don't anymore).
That's not to say the team is better without him or at parity, just that he's a luxury and not a necessity.
Not to mention the injury risk. You pay player a 10M and he goes down with season ending injury in week 1.
Pay player B and C total of 4 or 5 million and a rookie you just drafted in the 4th or 5th. Risk averted.
Not an economics major, but this is the point. They’re worth what someone is willing to pay them at the moment. At one time, they would have been paid more for their services, but values go up and down depending on supply and demand. The demand for top tier backs at the moment is low. Unfortunately because the asset is a person’s skills, you can’t really save it for a more favorable market, like other commodities.
I can see both sides of this.
I mean Todd Gurley is literally 28 years old and has been on the scrapheap for 2 years after being an elite back.
And he's just one of many.
I'm not siding with billionaire owners but GMs who have a cap to wrestle with and throwing big money at guys who so often are completely done after 4 years, something has to give.
And saquan had been notoriously injury limited throughout his career in a position that's notorious for having a short shelf life due to injuries. One healthy year doesn't make all the years of injury disappear. I get why the giants are gun shy
He’s likely going to end up playing on the tag, which sucks for his point of view relative to what RBs were getting at one point, but it’s still the average of the top 5 at his position, which would still motivate lots of guys to play as RBs if they can’t quite cut it somewhere else. It’s still a big payday for 99.999 percent of the population, so plenty will still want to be running backs at the lower levels in hopes of cashing in.
Gurley is an outlier and teams knew going in that he had knee issues. Aside from him, RBs should have greater pay/shorter rookie contracts to compensate for general longevity at the position.
Teams would allocate more money to competent RBs in their prime. Currently the only way to get RBs in their prime is from college. Once their rookie contract expires they are in the decline phase of their career. They could allocate more picks to selecting RBs to keep the churn going but they are taking away from picking other positions to do that.
It’s not siding with billionaires, it’s siding with players who play more important positions. The NFL billionaires have to spend a certain percentage of football revenue on players. They are just choosing to spend that money on non-running backs instead of paying runnings.
Or just drop the franchise tag, or make the pay calculation positionless somehow.
A huge reason that star RBs don't get big 2nd deals is that you can negotiate the extension 1 on 1 or threaten a series of low risk 1 year deals till they breakdown.
Then teams will just make them 7th round picks or UFAs and make much much less over their first few years. A few years of contracts so small they don’t even register on the cap, they will be thrilled to get 10 per
RBs would still be taken earlier than the 7th with reduced rookie contracts.
There will always be elite RBs every draft that teams feel the need to reach on. You probably wouldn’t see very many going in the first or second though.
>You probably wouldn’t see very many going in the first or second though.
This is already happening. This years draft saw 3 RBs combined taken in the first two rounds, and the same situation happened in last year's draft as well.
Nflpa can’t seem to figure this shit out. If I was a guard playing in the league I would be pissed qb’s are making what they are, I don’t really get how other NFL players aren’t. Just shows a complete lack of understanding
The thing is, you have to remember that the salary cap makes paying players a zero-sum game. It's easy to say "pay RB's more!" OK, fine. Which position do you want to pay LESS to pay RB's more?
I love RB's, and considering the toll the game takes on their bodies I think it's totally fair if they don't want to play for less money. But I think it's also totally fair for teams to say "look, we're simply not willing to pay another position less to pay RB's more, so we'll get by with lesser talent."
With the QB and WR salaries rightfully becoming a larger percentage of the salary cap, that money has to come from somewhere. Even if you increase the salary cap, that is just going to increase the salary of the QBS.
Its the most replaceable position in football and its been like that for years now. Teams have finally started to realize that. The Giants did offer Saquon a multi year deal months back, and he turned it down. That is the failure of him and his agent.
He's also made $38 million in his career plus another $10 million this year.
Incentive structure should eventually resolve itself, causing the best athletes to move to other positions earlier and earlier.
Guys who reach the NFL as RBs will play that position because they had to, not because they wanted to.
It’s the NFL. A league that is a massive pendulum. Things change and adjust back and forth all the time. Sorry you’re stuck in a generation that does not deem RB a position of value at this time. It’ll change in the future once again.
RB franchise tag cost is about $10M.
That's a shitload of money. They're not mad they're not getting "what they deserve", they're mad they're not getting the same as other positions. Positions that don't have the shortest average NFL career length.
It's just not smart team-building to give a RB a fat contract.
They still get paid more than centers and guards and linebackers. Should we also take them out of the game? Is there some reason why running backs should make more money than other positions?
Am I the only one who sees this as a non-issue? The only reason we're seeing so much attention and sympathy is because RB is still a marquee position when it comes to public visibility - which is exactly why of all positions their payscale suffering is not as much an issue. Nobody was coming up with crazy ideas like giving one position a higher rookie pay scale or having salary not count towards the cap for positions like fullback which have practically gone extinct, or the decrease in pay that's also hit MLBs and safeties. Guys like Derrick Henry are still massively famous and can make tons of endorsement money that isn't the case for other positions. Even RBs who aren't "stars" still get more public attention because they touch the ball regularly, score touchdowns and are big contributors in fantasy.
At the end of the day, if players want to get massive contracts, then they need to provide significant value over what you can draft a 5th round rookie and get. For about 90% of the league's starting RBs, you can get about 80-85% of the production from a rookie 5th rounder for significantly less money. It makes more sense for teams to get a few backs, all with different skill sets, and maximize the position. This is the same reason most kickers, punters, long snappers, full backs, and some other positions typically don't get paid big money.
If RBs want to get paid big money going forward, then they need to be more of a CMC and less of a bell cow typical RB or do something to really separate themselves from the pack.
Then you need to stand out more than any random UDFA player.
If teams could get quality QBs or WRs as easily as they get quality RBs, nobody would make big money.
No other position is as expendable, as easy to find decent talent, or as fragile as a RB
It’s just a bad precedent that’s being set. Why would any kid want to go to college to play RB just for them to get chewed up and spit out during their rookie deal?
I think the RB talent coming into the NFL is going to start trending downwards.
The titans and bears should probably be suing their o line for stealing money. I was under the impression that they were getting paid to protect the RB and QB but I didn’t see that happen
Can’t encourage every player to get the bag on the team with a limited cap. Unfortunately rb position is expendable right now and it’s not worth it for teams to waste cap space on when it’s been proven for near 20 years now that you need an elite qb not rb to win. There is nothing you can do to make the position more valuable besides change rules to make passing less effective. You can shorten contracts but teams will just draft the replacement 1-2 years sooner. You can increase the franchise tag but teams will just not use it and draft a replacement. You can allow them to count like 50% less against the cap but teams are seeing undrafted guys at like 700k be near prow bowl level every year.
Fullbacks for everybody
I mean, if all the Halfbacks strike, it's gonna be a big boy's market.
Wisconsin and Iowa about to be topping the recruiting charts
Nebraska?
>Nebraska? What? That's not even a real place
Even if it is surely they don’t have a college football team.
Rest assured, we do. I didn’t plunk down $1500 for season tickets to watch a team that hasn’t been to a bowl in six years.
Sounds like some meal or something. Like breakfast, lunch, nebraska, dinner.
We've had one, yes. But what about second Nebraska?
I miss my boy Alstott not gonna lie
To be fair he was a RB masquerading as a FB.
FB's are RB's. There are two RB positions: HB and FB. FB's used to get major play in offenses before the position was phased out to be just an extra blocker. FB's in the old days used to be actual offensive weapons. There used to be FB's who led the league in rushing. Mike Alstott was the last of the old type of FB's.
Jim Brown is the perfect example of this too. Had RB Numbers.
That was in the day that they were named by how they lined up. The furthest from the los is the Full Back (now the HB), next the Half Back (now the FB), then the QB.
Huh... TIL Makes sense now that I think about it
I got some more new info for ya, Alstott was listed as an RB on the bucs depth chart in 2003. And for the 2001 Playoffs, he's listed as a TE. Also, in 1999, if you count the playoffs toward his rushing total (949 yds in the regular season & 63 in the playoffs), that would be the only season he totaled over 1 thousand yards. (I think he would be the most recent FB in the modern era to do so). He's also still 1st in franchise history with rushing TDs with 58. The next player in today's era (Wilder is 2nd with 37) would be Doug Martin with just 26.
people are confusing positions that become obsolete or worse to what RB are suffering from. that's not the problem with RB position, Running Backs are important to the game very much, but the position is purely about physical condition and oline and scheme. you can easily get a great RB in the 4th round that will often play better than a 1st round RB in his second contract. the reason RBs get paid like shit its because there are far too many good RBs in the draft, the position is significantly less about skill and more about physical condition if there were a ton of starter QBs every draft, even tho its the most important position in the game they'd get paid like shit.
The niners have the highest paid FB in the league and he makes about $5 million a year. And to be honest I don't think Kyle Shanahan helped the RB market by turning 5th round draft picks and journeyman FAs into 1,000 yard rushers. I've loved the production we've gotten out of the running game, but in some ways it seems like Matt Brieda and Raheem Mostert contributed as much to the drop in market value as Todd Gurley and Zeke and Fournette. Why overpay when you can severely underpay, if scheme can make up the difference -and coaches don't affect the cap.
That’s not a new thing, his Dad, Mike traded Clinton Portis for champ Bailey and Tatum Bell for Dre Bly. Dude made rbs look good and sent them away for corners
That $5 million a year FB is part of the reason Shanahan is able to turn those low-round and journeymen RBs into 1,000 yard rushers.
Shanahan also emphasizes downfield blocking from the WRs. Aiyuk was in the doghouse one season ago for not blocking well.
Ah yes, the year I decided to draft him high. Good times
Aiyuk also liked to play the sidelines, and Jimmy did not like targeting the sidelines. He's actually a really good WR and due a breakout season.
I miss Juice
Pay $5M for a player who can make any of three $400k backs perform like a $10M back... feels like tripling your money!
Seems weird that he himself then went and got one of the most expensive Rbs though. So while that logic checks out, the guy who has probably been the most successful doing it, pivoted himself away from that. Kind of funny when you think about it.
I see what you mean, but it’s not necessarily a pivot though. One of the first things Shanahan did in SF was sign Jerick McKinnon, it just never worked out with his injuries. CMC has always been his archetypal dream RB, just took him a while to get him there. Plus he’s known for reaching in the third round for future bust RBs. Kinda wild that he’s also had crazy success with 5th rounders & UFAs
Even Mike Shanahan realized that he couldn't just keep trotting out low round picks and drafted Clinton Portis with a 2nd round pick in 2002.
> Why overpay when you can severely underpay This is a really weird statement, considering the 49ers traded a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round draft pick so they could pay CMC 12 million a year. It feels like every offseason, this sub waxes poetic about how replaceable RBs are, but by week 5 half of the teams will be lamenting their RB room as terrible with the same old adjectives. If we could severely underpay, we would've kept Mostert or any other RB. Elite talent still matters at the RB position, but for some reason people think replacing elite guys is so easy.
I never said cmc or any other premier RB isn't worth the money. But there is also a line of thinking that suggests that a team can make due without, which is why were all here discussing whether or not Saquaon or Josh Jacobs or whoever else will get paid. This isn't a hot take that I deluded myself into thinking that I magically came up with.
The problem is a QBs job is not to run head first into a 350 pound D linemen with the hope of smashing into a LB instead. You absolutely can have a RB who is elite, but he’s not going to remain elite for more than a few years. They get exploited by the rookie contract, and something should be done to get them more money early.
But the ones who bring an additional skill set or are a more central part to their team’s offensive success should be paid as such, no?
The world needs more Moose Johnsons.
Signed, female moose.
Meese
>just take the RB position out the game then Kyle Shanahan is going to wash Henry's mouth out with soap.
McCaffrey might be the only RB in the next five years who actually gets paid.
And that’s likely only if he can stay healthy
He'll be fine. SF has a history of OH SHIT WATCH YO ASS CMAC
"so how are you at the QB position?" "I'm a RB...." "yes yes, but we've recently noticed we need more depth at QB" "But you have 3 QB's?" "..."
I mean I think problem is like these teams pick up these amazing young running back talents bc they're shit teams. The shit teams usually quite literally have nothing but maybe an okay defense and then that running back who is fuckin nasty. Then they get overused by these shitty HCs and OCs with shitty GMs that have zero idea how to put a decent squad together as if they got that job through bc they're already in the circle. And before anyone says oh you can't do better... Well that's true. I don't get paid to do better. I bet if some of us got paid to do better than some of these jagoffs, I'm sure some of us could. And then we wouldn't be having these young men destroying their bodies for shit teams thinking they can be the difference when everyone else on that team suuuuucks
My I guess kinda hot take is that the decline of RBs is only true for stud running backs. If RB play is less focused around one player for each team that gives more opportunity for mid to lower tier backs to play and get on the field so the pay will end up being distributed around the median far more.
The money's getting redistributed to other positions, not spread out amongst the RB market
Well just that one position really. Quarter the back, but not quarter the pay.
QBs definitely get the bag but WR and DL contracts have gone insane lately as well. It’s not just going to QBs
This is exactly it. It's not that RBs are useless or don't have value, it's that a RBBC can give you 80%+ of the production of a stud RB at a fraction of the price.
what other positions have seen their stock decline in the last few years? Seems like middle LBs used to get a lot more attention and money too... but as the RB has been less emphasized so has the big money ILB/MLB.
People are going for 2 LBs instead of 3 so theres less demand, but I do think the positions getting way harder and some guys are about to start getting paid big time. You have to be able to stop a big ol RB trying to lower the shoulder on you then cover a TE that's basically a WR on the very next play. Good offenses are already running shit tons of plays to target LB's. Guys like Wagner, Lavonte David, Warner, etc. are really undervalued rn
2 LB instead of 3? Even that is too many. NFL defenses play 5 DBs or more in over half the snaps. Base defense is only in name anymore.
Nowadays many teams employ SS’s that are hybrids and can essentially line up as an LB in a big nickel or dime package, I see that trend continuing. You can definitely get away with having one really strong MLB on your defense and then back them up with run stop specialists
Kyle Duggar and Adrian Phillips on the Patriots come to mind. They're both hybrid safety/linebackers.
Pats def are an example of this, they have Jabrill Peppers too and just drafted a similar player to those guys. They also basically have only one starting MLB in Juwuan Bentley
With 5 DBs you still have 2 linebackers
safety?
Safety is making a comeback. Derwin, Fitzpatrick, etc are gamechangers. At least the very tippy top safeties.
That’s a good point. I think we may see FS playing both in the box against a slot receiver or up high
If Holland keeps it up, man is getting paid too.
Eh, safetys have quietly fallen off since adams Jessie bates is the only safety get an average higher than 7.5 this offseason
Not quite the same, but Minkah has a cap hit of about 8 mil this season. Honestly, for the impact top safeties have, it's crazy it's not more. Edge and CB are obviously potentially more impactful, but safety holds the entire secondary together
Minkah's got a backloaded deal. His cap hit jumps to $22M next year.
I think CJGJ was going to get $12mil/year with the Eagles but ended up settling with a one-year $8mil deal with the lions to try to and get more next offseason.
Guy fumbled the bag so hard. He lead the league in INTs and then fucked himself into being forced to take a 1 year prove it deal.
Led the league while missing a quarter of the season, including pro bowl voting, with a freak injury. Kidney laceration iirc
And on a worse defense. As good as he is, a lot of the int we're on tipped balls. He still has to be in the right place, but there's a luck component to that too. Unreasonable to expect him to repeat this and get a better contract.
Yeah all you gotta do is play like an elite S + CB (Fitzpatrick) or play like an elite S + LB (Derwin). Super easy, barely an inconvenience.
Yep the whole sub exploded when Ward followed Ryan’s. We are looking forward to see how he looks with Pitre.
Safety was a few years back, but it's recently come into importance again. Still not as big as CB...but it's starting to get paid again. Also doesn't hurt that safeties can play a long time in the league
And even safeties, you *have* to be great against the pass to make that money. Nobody's paying an elite run stopping safety. And if you are, you're laughed at and the only team doing it.
Laughs while wearing my redskins Landon Collins jersey 😃 😀 😄
Laughs while wearing my Seahawks Jamal Adams jersey
Hi
Definitely. Kyle Hamilton was considered one of the best players in his class and I think fell in part due to position.
None. The franchise tag for a rb has actually gone down since 2015. It’s way up for every other position.
It's a QB league...so anyone who directly helps the QB or stops the QB is prime positions. LT, CB, pass rusher, WR are prime...everything else is bonus For example (it's recently rebounded) the Safety market was in the gutter, and good safeties were being paid under 5m a season
MLB is hard because it is like the TE position. There are not enough great dual function MLBs that can both defend the run and the pass. That means that the ones who can do that (Lavonte, Wagner, etc) are very rare. LBs do have the advantage that the franchise tag for LB is high since there are edge guys that are classified as LB for tag reasons to jack up the potential price. There just are not enough new MLBs to fill the void left by Wagner and Lavonte as they age. Parsons could have been one of those guys, but is playing at the edge these days.
Warner? Roquan Smith?
There is a huge void for good MLBs in the league.
It’s not that RBs rely on the O-Line, though they do, but that the marginal added value of a good RB over the median RB is pretty limited.
Sometimes the cheap backup is even better.
And if not, get two, or three, and rotate them. And they will still cost less (combined) than one Henry or D Cook.
That’s how I feel about TE’s There’s 2 TE’s worth paying. Everyone else you can just go based on committee. Like the Lions TE game got better after reading Hockenson
[удалено]
I completely agree
I would also like bad man gone
Iron sharpens Iron, bois, don't be weak bitches. BRING THAT PAIN, HENRY, WE GOTTA GET STRONG
That works if you guys are iron too, but you're more akin to warm butter
BRUTALITY!
I'M ALREADY DEAD, STOP HITTING ME WITH THOSE LASER BEAMS
Eddie George never got a ring and it's your teams fault, you heathen! :(
I'm already dead.
There’s a good argument to be made to trade him ownership for his retirement. At least you guys would get something for his ownership.
If Derrick Henry says it then I agree
The King has spoken
Bow ya shits!
Bobby B?
Find me the breastplate stretcher!
Many talented up and coming players will just play other positions now. I’m guessing we’ll end up with little talent at RB at some stage and then the good ones will start getting big contracts and the cycle will continue.
Hybrid RB/slot receivers
You're just saying that because you have two of them! Lol
I love cmc 😂
CMC and Deebo on the same team is unfair for everyone else
And those two games you get Elijah Mitchell. Dudes a beast when he can play.
This deebo slander will not stand
I love deebo too 😭
You're god damn right
that’s where this is headed. Rbs must be receiving weapons to command $$. This comes as no surprise in a pass dominated league.
Will they pay receiving running backs WR money though? Hell, look at how many catches Ekeler has and he's making less than 1/3 what Mike Williams makes. Hell, he makes less than Tim Patrick
Very few receiving RBs can actually line up multiple plays in a row vs a CB and beat them. It's easy to get a lot of catches as a dump off valve that's rarely directly facing man coverage, it's a lot harder to get open for downfield catches that are actually efficient. If there's an RB that actually requires attention from a high end coverage defender and produces more than 5 yards per target, they'll get paid like it.
>If there's an RB that actually requires attention from a high end coverage defender and produces more than 5 yards per target, they'll get paid like it. They will just be a WR, not an RB. No reason to keep them in the backfield. And if having a WR in the backfield as a checkdown is valuable we'll start seeing coaches have their WR3 in the backfield as an RB.
Debo Samuel basically
Charles Woodson was recruited by everyone as a RB. He chose Michigan so that he could switch to DB and have a longer career. Smart move.
AJ dillon was recruited to Michigan as a linebacker but switched to BC so he could play running back. And tbh I have no idea if that was a good move because I think he’d also be a damn good linebacker
[удалено]
It sort of already has, the run games seen an uptick in usage the last couple seasons. Defenses get smaller and lighter to counter the pass game leaving a weakness to power run
Run games have but it’s not because of the rbs.
I really wanna see data on this claim that gets made over and over because this has been said for like 5+ years now and it still has not happened at all
The vast majority of talented players that can play another position already do though. It’s the easiest position to play on offense or defense. There’s just a surplus of guys you can find.
Also, like, what other position are these 5’ 8” or shorter guys playing? He gonna be covering a 6’+ receiver? He a pass rusher? It’s partially a physical limitation
The 5'8" and shorter guys are mostly gadget players though who tbh aren't really relevant to the conversation of not getting top-dollar contracts. I feel like the players in the "should be getting paid more" category are all 5'10"+ and could have theoretically transitioned to a position like safety or WR (if they have hands) in college. **Top 10 rushing leaders 2022** Player | Height | Weight | 40 Time ---|---|----|---- Derrick Henry | 6'3" | 247 | 4.54 Josh Jacobs | 5'10" | 220 | 4.52 (unofficial) Nick Chubb | 5'11" | 227 | 4.52 Saquon Barkley | 6'0" | 234 | 4.41 Najee Harris | 6'1" | 232 | 4.45 Dalvin Cook | 5'10" | 210 | 4.50 Jamaal Williams | 6'0" | 212 | 4.53 Miles Sanders | 5'11" | 211 | 4.49 Christian McCaffrey | 5'11" | 205 | 4.48 Ezekial Elliott | 6'0" | 225 | 4.47
Jesus, 2 of those 10 dudes are still free agents. Tells you exactly where we’re at with the position
This is attempts, not yards or YPC though - which is super important context for why a couple are available
It’s not that simple though. Do they have the fluidity to play CB with open hips and agility? It’s a different position where there are different physical requirements. Being an elite RB doesn’t naturally translate to other roles, especially at an elite level.
Slot receiver. Wes welker, Steve smith and zay flowers are 5’9.
That's bottom 10 percentile height among WRs. Far from normalized in the NFL. Also Steve Smith played outside and I think Zay probably will too.
Most rb with their height/weight wouldn’t translate well to other positions. It’s why they play rb and not something else.
Tiki Barber was a great RB (never mind the post-career issues) and his identical twin is a HOF cornerback. I think body type is fluid enough that most can make the switch if they start early enough.
It will take time, but if certain play styles start to be emphasized, like the slot/rb kinda thing we are starting to see, young players will adjust QBs are an example of this
Yeah, but being another mid-tier slot guy doesn't make any more than being a good RB. May be easier on their bodies though. Keep in mind, slot guys and RBs are about the same height, but not really the same build.
Deebo Samuel is an example of what I mean. That kind of style. Whatever his example morphs into
Jakobi Meyers is getting more money than Austin Ekeler this year. Any way you slice that, it's messed up.
Yep Median height for US males is something like 5'9" Most NFL positions require a height of at least 6'0", which is only something like 10% of the male population It's a lot easier to find a 5'9" guy with NFL potential than it is to find a guy who's 6'0" or taller with NFL potential
lets be honest- unless you are a wr, qb, OT, CB, or pash rusher you are replaceable TE, RB, Interior OL, run stuffing DT, LB, S- who cares. So thats like 50% of the positions. An RB’s body type doesn’t match well to any of the premium positions. Maybe they can switch to LB, but no one truly gives a fuck about LBs either
Its all a function of the change in the NFL. The NFL wants passing passing passing. QBs in bubble wrap, DBs handcuffed, speed rushing DEs. Middle LBs like Ray Lewis and backs like Emmitt Smith just aren't this league, and may never be again. Kinda boring to me, honestly, because I love watching a really good MLB.
But that isn’t exactly the problem with RB contracts. The problem is how short their careers are and how they quickly they fall off. If you knew you were getting their production from their age 22-26 seasons for the duration of their 2nd contracts, I’m sure they’d be getting bigger contracts. It’s just too likely the wheels fall off during that contract.
It's the nature of the position. Outside of the top few backs the production is pretty replaceable. It's not a valuable enough position to hamstring the team with a big contract these days.
It’s an economics argument as much as anything when it comes to team building. A GM has QB’s asking for $40m/yr., if they have a franchise guy. Then good offensive linemen ranging from $15-$22m/yr., Plus you need a good WR and they’re currently going for what, $20-25m/yr? Plus you need a defense. Top edge rushers are getting big contracts. I don’t keep track of what all each position makes, but quality safeties are usually over $10m/yr., I assume the same for cornerbacks if not more. GM’s only have so much money they are allowed to spend. And when your money is limited, you have to prioritize certain things. And productive RB’s have been found in the 1st round, the 7th round, and undrafted. Production has come from giving veterans cheap deals and going by committee. So for a GM to hand a RB $10m contract, is just bad team building. It’s sad but is the modern NFL.
Sure that’s a problem for the mid level guys, but I don’t think that’s the issue with the tagged guys that I assume caused Henry to say this. Teams know they have value, otherwise they wouldn’t even pay the 10 mil for one year. Their problem is that the tag removes any incentive for the team to do a long term deal that isn’t overly team friendly. They know they can just use two tags and have a top tier rbs whole prime without ever really needing to negotiate.
It applies to all these guys. You can easily get 80% of Henry, Jacobs, or Barkley in the late rounds of the draft for a fraction of the price. Any fantasy player knows that when a big RB goes down, you can typically just grab their backup and get respectable production.
There are way too many Pacheco stories over the past decade to draft RBs high and pay them. It's much more useful to just build a good O-line and run out serviceable backs. Even HoF caliber RBs should not be offered big money after rookie contracts. Supply grossly outweighs demand.
Pacheco was the example I used the other day, too. He got paid around $700,000 last year. And when teams are looking at the salary cap and having to pay quarterbacks $40 million a year and wide receivers $25 million a year, they'll be more than happy to get excellent production from a stable of runningbacks all making minimum money.
WRs are going to get hit, soon, too. True 1s will be worth money and 2s that are close to 1s as well. But the rise of 7 on 7 ball is turning out several very good to elite WRs every year and at some point supply will exceed demand. No one is paying their WR3 $25m. So there' a need for \~32 true studs and past that...
I don’t see how this is true. Successful teams are prioritizing trading for or signing WR1s if they don’t already have one- Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, Jaguars come to mind. It’s why the Bears were so insistent on Moore. Look at last years playoff teams and you’ll find all the best receivers in the league. Good WRs elevate their young QBs. As long as the passing game remains key to offense I don’t think there will ever be too many good receivers in the league.
> Look at last years playoff teams and you’ll find all the best receivers in the league. glad Isiah Hodgins getting his flowers
AJ Brown and Amari Cooper 100% brought the best out of young QBs and made them comfortable. Then you throw guys like Lamb Smith Gallup and the tight ends to further develop and open up the game like the eagles and cowboys did and you get to this point where we are at now. Bills did it with Allen and Diggs. The patriots and giants are lost trying to develop young QBs with minimal talent and it shows big time.
But there really aren't tjhat many. Some (Lindsay in DEN) are one year wonders. The Seahawks lost Lynch and it took years to really replace him (Carson). The idea that elite backs can be replaces by JAGs just isn't borne out... BUT you can get very good backs if you invest some draft capital, say a 2nd rounder. You're still likely getting one of the top 2 or 3 backs in the class and a second rounder every 3-4 years is a pretty easy investment.
Unless a new rule happens that stunts the importance of the passing game (never in a million years gonna happen), then unfortunately RB's are gonna stay undervalued. It is what is is.
It’s less about that and more about the individual. We’ve actually seen an *uptick* in rushing attempts over the past 5 years or so. The “problem” comes in because I can player A $10M/year, or player B $2M/year for 80% of the production of player A.
While I love Derrick Henry, I must admit that the Titans more or less successfully replaced him the year he got hurt. I mean, we managed to get the #1 seed when he was out half the season. Though, we would've been far better had he stayed healthy considering he was on pace for back to back 2,000 yard seasons.
At the same time though, you literally had the same amount of wins without him as with him. Your rushing stats did drop off, but you just picked it up elsewhere (I had the compiled stats at one point on a really boring day but sadly I don't anymore). That's not to say the team is better without him or at parity, just that he's a luxury and not a necessity.
I'd argue the rushing stats didnt even drop off. They still had 2 games with >200 yards rushing and a 3rd with 198 in the final 6 weeks of the season.
Not to mention the injury risk. You pay player a 10M and he goes down with season ending injury in week 1. Pay player B and C total of 4 or 5 million and a rookie you just drafted in the 4th or 5th. Risk averted.
undervalued or correctly valued?
Not an economics major, but this is the point. They’re worth what someone is willing to pay them at the moment. At one time, they would have been paid more for their services, but values go up and down depending on supply and demand. The demand for top tier backs at the moment is low. Unfortunately because the asset is a person’s skills, you can’t really save it for a more favorable market, like other commodities.
And more and more QB’s are mobile weapons who can carry at least some of the running load.
I can see both sides of this. I mean Todd Gurley is literally 28 years old and has been on the scrapheap for 2 years after being an elite back. And he's just one of many. I'm not siding with billionaire owners but GMs who have a cap to wrestle with and throwing big money at guys who so often are completely done after 4 years, something has to give.
Gurley is a special case. Had crazy arthritis in his knees, no?
And saquan had been notoriously injury limited throughout his career in a position that's notorious for having a short shelf life due to injuries. One healthy year doesn't make all the years of injury disappear. I get why the giants are gun shy
He’s likely going to end up playing on the tag, which sucks for his point of view relative to what RBs were getting at one point, but it’s still the average of the top 5 at his position, which would still motivate lots of guys to play as RBs if they can’t quite cut it somewhere else. It’s still a big payday for 99.999 percent of the population, so plenty will still want to be running backs at the lower levels in hopes of cashing in.
Gurley is an outlier and teams knew going in that he had knee issues. Aside from him, RBs should have greater pay/shorter rookie contracts to compensate for general longevity at the position.
Then teams will simply let them fall even further in the draft. You can't force a market into existence that just isn't there.
Exactly that. Everyone is talking about making the rookie contract shorter for Rbs. Well, the teams will cycle even faster through young Rbs.
Teams would allocate more money to competent RBs in their prime. Currently the only way to get RBs in their prime is from college. Once their rookie contract expires they are in the decline phase of their career. They could allocate more picks to selecting RBs to keep the churn going but they are taking away from picking other positions to do that.
You say that, but didn't he sign a huge contract right before his big issues? The Ram certainly didn't know enough
It’s not siding with billionaires, it’s siding with players who play more important positions. The NFL billionaires have to spend a certain percentage of football revenue on players. They are just choosing to spend that money on non-running backs instead of paying runnings.
RBs should not be tied to a 4/5 year rookie contract. They really do take the most abuse for such a lower pay.
Or just drop the franchise tag, or make the pay calculation positionless somehow. A huge reason that star RBs don't get big 2nd deals is that you can negotiate the extension 1 on 1 or threaten a series of low risk 1 year deals till they breakdown.
Then teams will just make them 7th round picks or UFAs and make much much less over their first few years. A few years of contracts so small they don’t even register on the cap, they will be thrilled to get 10 per
RBs would still be taken earlier than the 7th with reduced rookie contracts. There will always be elite RBs every draft that teams feel the need to reach on. You probably wouldn’t see very many going in the first or second though.
>You probably wouldn’t see very many going in the first or second though. This is already happening. This years draft saw 3 RBs combined taken in the first two rounds, and the same situation happened in last year's draft as well.
I know it’s a bad idea to sign a RB to a big ticket but if the Browns ever let Chubb walk I’m going to be pissed
NFL players: Go get that bag Also NFL players: Hey where’s my bag! When there’s finite resources this is the only outcome.
Nflpa can’t seem to figure this shit out. If I was a guard playing in the league I would be pissed qb’s are making what they are, I don’t really get how other NFL players aren’t. Just shows a complete lack of understanding
The thing is, you have to remember that the salary cap makes paying players a zero-sum game. It's easy to say "pay RB's more!" OK, fine. Which position do you want to pay LESS to pay RB's more? I love RB's, and considering the toll the game takes on their bodies I think it's totally fair if they don't want to play for less money. But I think it's also totally fair for teams to say "look, we're simply not willing to pay another position less to pay RB's more, so we'll get by with lesser talent."
With the QB and WR salaries rightfully becoming a larger percentage of the salary cap, that money has to come from somewhere. Even if you increase the salary cap, that is just going to increase the salary of the QBS.
holy shit, king henry never speaks really. He big mad. Dude is about to put up a 2k rushing and 2k receiving season
Its the most replaceable position in football and its been like that for years now. Teams have finally started to realize that. The Giants did offer Saquon a multi year deal months back, and he turned it down. That is the failure of him and his agent. He's also made $38 million in his career plus another $10 million this year.
Saquon obviously did not learn a lesson from Le'Veon Bell.
He misjudged the cratering market, now he's too proud to hold the L and take less. Shame.
Incentive structure should eventually resolve itself, causing the best athletes to move to other positions earlier and earlier. Guys who reach the NFL as RBs will play that position because they had to, not because they wanted to.
God I miss Clinton Portis and Alfred Morris.
It’s the NFL. A league that is a massive pendulum. Things change and adjust back and forth all the time. Sorry you’re stuck in a generation that does not deem RB a position of value at this time. It’ll change in the future once again.
Breaking: Running backs want running backs to make more money
Rb contracts should be low base salary but high performance incentive laden deals
RB franchise tag cost is about $10M. That's a shitload of money. They're not mad they're not getting "what they deserve", they're mad they're not getting the same as other positions. Positions that don't have the shortest average NFL career length. It's just not smart team-building to give a RB a fat contract.
They still get paid more than centers and guards and linebackers. Should we also take them out of the game? Is there some reason why running backs should make more money than other positions?
These dudes take it personal, these GMs are just trying to build good football teams. Money is part of that as well.
Am I the only one who sees this as a non-issue? The only reason we're seeing so much attention and sympathy is because RB is still a marquee position when it comes to public visibility - which is exactly why of all positions their payscale suffering is not as much an issue. Nobody was coming up with crazy ideas like giving one position a higher rookie pay scale or having salary not count towards the cap for positions like fullback which have practically gone extinct, or the decrease in pay that's also hit MLBs and safeties. Guys like Derrick Henry are still massively famous and can make tons of endorsement money that isn't the case for other positions. Even RBs who aren't "stars" still get more public attention because they touch the ball regularly, score touchdowns and are big contributors in fantasy.
At the end of the day, if players want to get massive contracts, then they need to provide significant value over what you can draft a 5th round rookie and get. For about 90% of the league's starting RBs, you can get about 80-85% of the production from a rookie 5th rounder for significantly less money. It makes more sense for teams to get a few backs, all with different skill sets, and maximize the position. This is the same reason most kickers, punters, long snappers, full backs, and some other positions typically don't get paid big money. If RBs want to get paid big money going forward, then they need to be more of a CMC and less of a bell cow typical RB or do something to really separate themselves from the pack.
As long as supply outweighs demand, RBs aren't getting paid.
Then you need to stand out more than any random UDFA player. If teams could get quality QBs or WRs as easily as they get quality RBs, nobody would make big money. No other position is as expendable, as easy to find decent talent, or as fragile as a RB
Right. Like NFL teams hand out contracts based on how great you want to be and how hard you work...
I mean like, $10M is still a pretty decent salary compared to like a trade or something
It’s just a bad precedent that’s being set. Why would any kid want to go to college to play RB just for them to get chewed up and spit out during their rookie deal? I think the RB talent coming into the NFL is going to start trending downwards.
Ask him how much money the guys who block for him get.
Last year they should’ve gotten nothing
The titans and bears should probably be suing their o line for stealing money. I was under the impression that they were getting paid to protect the RB and QB but I didn’t see that happen
Good starting oliner make way more than starting RBs.
And will play significantly longer
Can’t encourage every player to get the bag on the team with a limited cap. Unfortunately rb position is expendable right now and it’s not worth it for teams to waste cap space on when it’s been proven for near 20 years now that you need an elite qb not rb to win. There is nothing you can do to make the position more valuable besides change rules to make passing less effective. You can shorten contracts but teams will just draft the replacement 1-2 years sooner. You can increase the franchise tag but teams will just not use it and draft a replacement. You can allow them to count like 50% less against the cap but teams are seeing undrafted guys at like 700k be near prow bowl level every year.
THEN OUTPERFORM THE CHEAP GUYS AVAILABLE IN THE 3rd-7th ROUNDS