Elite NFL RBs Start Group Chat To Grieve Crashing Market For Position
NFL running backs are teaming up (over text) to comfort each other as the RB market crashes.
Players have reportedly been "commiserating" the state of the RB market in a group chat, per NFL reporter Mike Florio.
No names from the GC have been released, but several outspoken players on Monday lead us to believe it includes guys like Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs and others.
READ:
Monday was a significant date for running backs that received a franchise tag over a contract extension following productive seasons in 2022.
Barkley, Jacobs and Cowboys running back Tony Pollard failed to reach contract extensions with their teams.
All three players were Pro Bowlers in 2022.
Barkley and Jacobs frequently stated their intentions of holding out for contract extensions.
Will The NFL RBs Group Chat Accomplish Anything? Probably not.
Now that the period to pay running backs has passed, RBs are starting to worry if the trend of saving money on running backs by drafting young and cheap will be the death of the position.
Some argue that the franchise tag of $10-to-11 million is plenty for a running back.
Others are leading an outcry, calling for RBs to get paid as much as other skill players.
If anything, the report tries to stir more noise to highlight pay discrepancies for running backs. The more noise the players create, the more teams (or the NFLPA) will notice.
Unfortunately, media attention rarely turns into new contracts or a market reset.
The future of the RB market looms over the league's best at the position as fewer teams show a willingness to break the bank for contract extensions.