This past offseason has been difficult if you’re a running back seeking a new contract. The biggest salary handed out was to free agent signee Miles Sanders, who received a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Carolina Panthers this summer.
While Sanders played a key role with the Philadelphia Eagles during their Super Bowl run, he was far from the best player available. Considering that multiple Pro Bowl running backs, including Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, and even franchise-tagged options like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are all due for new contracts, the fact that Sanders remains the top earner from the summer is asinine.
Of course, each of the players mentioned above may very well still receive a salary north of what Sanders commanders, especially the two franchise backs set to play under their $10 million tag once signed. Yet, it’s become obvious that teams just aren’t willing to shell out massive amounts of money to experienced tailbacks anymore.
We’d have to go all the way back to 2021 since a running back received a contract worth more than $10 million annually. This is just not a trend we see in sports today, where salaries become reduced instead of constantly inflating.
Related: Highest paid NFL players in 2023: Who’s the highest-paid RB today?
So the current players impacted by the market are doing their best to put their minds together, trying to come up with a fair solution. They can’t keep putting the entire team’s rushing attack on their backs if they’re not being compensated fairly.
But as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk states, the top running backs are now set for a Saturday night Zoom meeting where they’ll presumably address the current state of the position’s lack of perceived value.
Earlier reports indicated the pack of RBs already had a group text going where they could express their discontent, share ideas, and whatever else they needed to communicate. But now things are getting a bit more serious, with the NFL Players Association also expected to have some level of involvement in the Zoom video session.
Who knows what exact topics the running backs will discuss? Obviously, pay will be the focal point, but as far as what potential solutions may exist? We’re all a little curious to find out.