The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans made catastrophic mistakes this past offseason, neglecting to pay Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry fair market value. It’s no coincidence that the 2-10 Giants and 3-8 Titans are some of the worst teams in the NFL. Meanwhile, the superstar running backs’ new teams, the 9-2 Philadelphia Eagles and 8-4 Baltimore Ravens, are some of the best teams in the NFL.
But again, the Giants weren’t willing to invest in the best player on their offense, so their division rivals stole him at the behest of New York’s owner, John Mara. So, Philadelphia inked Barkley to a three-year, $37.5M contract, and Baltimore signed Henry to a two-year, $16 million contract.
Well, now they enter the Week 13 NFL schedule as the league’s two leading rushers. Barkley tops the NFL with 1,392 rushing yards, and Henry, who has 1,325 rushing yards, isn’t far behind. Now, some are wondering if the two superstar rushers have greatly impacted how NFL teams value running backs.
Related: 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Who gets drafted first?
Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry have not impacted NFL RB market
Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry have run their way into the NFL MVP conversation, which is a sight to behold, considering the last running back to win the prestigious award was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Seeing how Barkley and Henry have helped strengthen the Eagles and Ravens, will their success cause NFL teams to view running backs any differently?
Multiple NFL analysts from The Athletic recently discussed this topic ahead of the intriguing Week 13 matchup between the Eagles and Ravens. All three experts believe the NFL RB market won’t be impacted by Barkley and Henry’s profound success, largely because they are elite talents.
“Running back salaries at the top of the market already rebounded some after declining. I think those salaries at the top should continue to rebound partly because of the success these players have enjoyed. The running game in general has made a comeback and that will likely benefit running backs in the market. “- Mike Sando
The Athletic on NFL RB values
“No, they’re viewed as exceptions because they’re elite talents who joined strong organizations with solid rosters. It would be just as easy to look at Christian McCaffrey and point out how quickly a running back could go from the best in the league to someone with potentially career-altering injury issues. That’s why teams are so reluctant to go all in on a running back. Last offseason helped to stabilize the second and third tiers of the running back market, but it’ll be rare to see teams break the bank at the position.” – Jeff Howe
Not really. The running back market as a whole won’t shift all that much, but what Barkley and Henry are doing this season is reminding personnel execs how much an elite one truly matters. There’s only one or two on the market each year, but the game-changers at running back still matter. Imagine where the Eagles would be without Barkley this season? His three-year, $37.8 million contract was a steal. – Zak Keefer
While a strong case could be made that the Eagles and Ravens are underpaying their respective running backs, they still earned top dollar on the RB market. In other words, don’t expect teams to suddenly offer high-priced contracts to top free agents, even if they are in desperate need of an upgrade in their backfield.
Related: NFL MVP Rankings in Week 13, including Saquon Barkley and Lamar Jackson