(Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)
Even though no team can find success in the NFL without a solid running game, the running back position has become less valuable by the year, at least in financial terms.
Star backs used to get huge paydays back in the day, but nowadays, the value of the franchise tag for RBs has actually dropped, whereas the value for other positions has risen.
Moreover, it doesn’t seem like this brutal market for RBs is going to change any time soon.
Recently, an unnamed NFL GM told Jeff Darlington of ESPN that this trend isn’t likely to end in the foreseeable future, as teams would much rather draft a RB high in the NFL Draft and then just let him walk after five years instead of paying them big money.
Brutal as it might be, here’s what one GM told me about his current take on running backs: “I don’t think this trend of the diminishing contracts for the position is going to end anytime soon. I’d rather draft one HIGH and let him walk after 5 years than pay him big money.” https://t.co/aVDmhO4lNt
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) July 17, 2023
Running backs aren’t exactly the most durable players in the game, and while some are able to make an impact almost immediately, their careers don’t last as long as, say, quarterbacks or wide receivers.
Ironically, that’s precisely because of how valuable they are to the game, as they have to take on heavy workloads and put their bodies on the line way more often than the average player.
Teams don’t seem to be even slightly interested in signing aging running backs, regardless of how good they’ve been in the past.
Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt, Melvin Gordon, and Leonard Fournette still being free agents this deep into the offseason only speaks volumes about how little value GMs give to the RB position nowadays.
The post NFL GM Has Brutal Reality Check For Running Backs appeared first on The Cold Wire.