Christian McCaffrey among the notable players to speak out about RB contracts issues

The NFL doesn't value running backs anymore and the players are sick of it

On Monday NFL players and media personalities alike expressed their disdain for the treatment of running  backs in the search of new contracts.

Three of the best running backs in the league in Las Vegas' Josh Jacobs, New York’s Saquon Barkley, and Dallas' Tony Pollard were given franchise tags — a one-year guaranteed contract which is worth a non-negotiated salary — instead of long-term contracts that they are each seeking. 

Pollard is the only one of the three that has actually signed his $10.1 million contract, while Barkley and Jacobs haven’t.

Now the reason the frustration has arisen is the fact that each of these three players are among the best players in the league, but over the last decade or so, the value of running backs has decreased substantially. NFL teams have been more prone to replacing a running back by the time his rookie deal is up. Something former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey called 'criminal' in a social media post. 

This is Criminal. Three of the best PLAYERS in the entire league, regardless of position. https://t.co/zDXRS5cGdu

— Christian McCaffrey (@CMC_22) July 17, 2023

Joining McCaffrey in criticizing how running backs are compensated was Titans star Derrick Henry, who went as far to say take the running back position out of the game if it's not as important as it is being treated.

At this point , just take the RB position out the game then . The ones that want to be great & work as hard as they can to give their all to an organization , just seems like it don’t even matter . I’m with every RB that’s fighting to get what they deserve . https://t.co/OgvBWZCKvn

— Derrick Henry  (@KingHenry_2) July 17, 2023

Thanks to rule changes and the advancement of offenses, NFL teams are no longer relying on bell-cow running backs that will rush for 30 times a game, and will amass over 1,000s of yards per season. Instead, they'd rather have a committee of solid and cheap running backs until it is time to move on. 

A major reason why the franchise tag for running backs is not nearly as lucrative as positions like quarterback, lineman, or receiver. As of right now there doesn't appear to be a realistic solution that would make sense for running backs to be able to be paid while they are still valuable.