The Running Back Crisis is Real

 

Written By: Oliver William, of Swish Tribune  

There has been a pattern this offseason from the running back position voicing their problems with the pay they have received. Positions fall up in down in importance from year to year, however, the NFL has shown that one of the league's most physical positions, utter disrespect in the industry. Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants was the first victim when he could not strike a long-term deal after racking up 1,312 rushing yards last season. Barkley, former 2nd overall pick out of Penn State, threatened to sit out of training camp in protest of not getting a larger deal done. 

Nick Chubb, running back for the Cleveland Browns, stated on July 23rd following a practice, “There’s really nothing we can do,” We’re kind of handcuffed with the situation. Our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run for 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they’re going to say you’re probably worn down. That’s the biggest thing that I took from it. It’s just tough. It hurts us just to go out there and do good. It hurts us at the end of the day.” 

However, these two are not the only running backs to voice their concerns about the market. Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, and many more have shared their views via Twitter and on calls with running backs. Looking at the market, it is clear why they are so upset with the current running back status. With the majority of teams in the league letting their star running backs walk and draft replacement, it has led to Running backs being the lowest-paid position. 

These are the franchise tags for each position: quarterback- $32.42 million, running back- $10.09 million tight end- $11.35 million, wide receiver- $19.74 million, offensive line- $18.24 million, defensive tackle- $18.94 million, defensive end- $19.73 million, linebacker- $20.93 million, cornerback- $18.14 million, safety- $14.46 million. The only position that can be compared to the running back market is the tight end position but the difference comes in career length. 

A top-tier tight end can easily expect two-to-three major extensions over the life of their career. Travis Kelce, for instance, is now in his second major contract extension, both of which have paid him an average of $8-10M a year since entering the league in 2013. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott, who was drafted three years after Kelce, is currently an unsigned free agent who will likely never match Kelce’s career earnings. It is clear that the NFL is leaning more towards a traditional passing game, making running backs less and less valuable. 

The issue is that the running backs already have the shortest average career with a career lifespan of 2.57 years, and with running backs getting released and not extended to long-term deals, the window is closing for the future of running backs to receive any money. What's the solution? With the current NFL/NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement running until 2030, there’s not a lot of room for relief for running backs. However, the best way to solve this problem would be to let running backs have their own barging unit, and incentives for their play. 

This would be a league fund, outside of the salary, where younger running backs are paid based on their team production. This overflow pool would allow for a top-tier RB to earn an extra $10-15M a year, without risking the financial stability of the roster as a whole and also a goal to chase for the upcoming season. 

For example, if a running back can get 1000 rushing yards for the season, they receive an additional $5M, or if a running back scores a certain number of touchdowns, they receive $10M. This ensures that the running backs get paid fairly in their prime and also protects the long-term financial security of athletes who would only receive their meager rookie deal before competing for pitiful salaries in free agency. 

The NFL needs to take a stand now and pay the running back position what they deserve. Otherwise, in a couple of years, we will be watching football with the running back position wholly discarded.