Stating the Obvious: NFL Running Backs Need to be Paid

This is getting out of hand. A number of NFL teams seem to not want to pay their top running backs, and I can't figure out why. I've been hearing this story for a long while now, and I finally decided to write my piece about it. The ironic thing: if this was about seven years ago, I wouldn't have given this a thought, because back then, I didn't think rushing was so important.

Yeah, it's true. I was a big fan of passing. I thought it was more important to throw the ball rather than run it, I thought that for years. I loved long passing plays (still do), and I was a big fan of receivers. Then in 2018, I started playing Fantasy Football. It took playing Fantasy Football for me to see that running backs are quite important. Scoring for RBs is simple: one point per every 10 rushing yards, and touchdowns are six points each. I still remember having Derrick Henry in 2019, which was the year he ran for 2000 yards. Wow! So yeah, in the NFL, you need a good running back, and from a Fantasy Football perspective, the RB is basically the most important position on the roster.

This season, however, it seems like the RB position is being treated with less and less respect. Some teams aren't bothering to dish out good and fair deals to their RBs, either handing out the dreaded franchise tag or just not giving out anything. The three RBs who are in the center of this whole thing are as follows:

Saquon Barkley

I'm a big Saquon Barkley fan, to me, he's the current MVP of the New York Giants. He's one of the best RBs in the league by far, but his one drawback, of course, has been his health. Saquon's had problems with injuries in his career, but the 2022 season was different. For the first time in four years, Saquon played a full season, running for 1,312 yards on nearly 300 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and scoring 10 touchdowns. The Giants had quite a dream season, actually reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and even reaching the Divisional Playoff, but they could not take down the juggernaut Philadelphia Eagles.

The effort from everyone on that team was amazing, but the true centerpiece of the Giants' amazing 2022 season was definitely Saquon. How he is not signed to a new deal is beyond me.

Josh Jacobs

As insulting as Saquon's treatment is, what the Las Vegas Raiders are doing to Josh Jacobs is even worse. Let me see if I have this right. Literally nothing went right for the Raiders in 2022. Nothing. The team entered 2022 coming off a surprise playoff appearance, and was expected to contend in what was credited as a loaded AFC West. Yet the Raiders kept losing games left and right and missed out, and the one positive in that season was Josh Jacobs, yet they're not giving him a new deal?! Seriously?! I'm more angry at this as a Fantasy Football owner since 2018. I had Jacobs on fantasy last year. I won quite a few matchups because of his contributions.

Jacobs led the league in rushing with 1,653 yards, but he doesn't have a new deal signed as of yet. I really don't get it. 2022 was a disappointing year for the Raiders, but for Jacobs, it was a big year for him. Pay the man, Raiders. He's definitely earned it for putting up with Josh McDaniels' inept coaching last year.

Tony Pollard

The last two seasons have seen Tony Pollard surpass Ezekiel Elliott as the Dallas Cowboys' RB1, to the point where the Cowboys finally cut Zeke during this offseason. So Pollard is their main rushing man, and you would think a new deal would come with that. Not at the moment. Pollard had a hell of a season last year, and it definitely warrants a new contract, but instead, unlike Saquon and Jacobs, Pollard got the franchise tag. In Pollard's case, it's about $10 million he'll get for the 2023 season.

Some have deemed the franchise tag as consolation. Some others see it as an insult. We all remember the whole saga with Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh. He wanted a long-term contract, and when he didn't get one, he held out to the point of not even playing games during that 2018 season. What sucks about the tag is, well, suppose Pollard gets injured. Sadly, that's a real possibility, because Pollard was pretty banged up on the tail end of this past season. He'd have nothing much to fall back on if that terrible scenario happens. Pollard is highly important to the Cowboys. In the immortal words of Jason Terry, "Cut the check."

Running backs are always on borrowed time. They take the most lickings getting whatever yards they do get, usually resulting in an average career of about 9 or 10 years. Based on that, the RBs I mentioned, need to be respected more and given deals that will guarantee that they'll be with their teams for the rest of their career. It's only the right thing to do.