Getty Image / Courtney Culbreath
NFL running backs have been looking for solutions to a difficult market at the position this offseason.
It has gotten to the point that Austin Ekeler even organized a Zoom meeting for the position’s top players to talk it over.
An NFL agent may have revealed just what it’s going to take for running backs to get paid in the league right now.
That agent told NFL insider Albert Breer that running backs will have to prove that they are difference makers to get paid in the NFL right now.
A prominent agent tells @AlbertBreer that running backs have to transcend the position to get paid, plus much more in this week’s Takeawayshttps://t.co/eSjRM5uPSj
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) July 24, 2023
“If you’re deserving of more money, and the team feels like you can get it, they’re gonna give it to you,” the agent says. “Some running backs are considered by their teams to be difference-makers, more than they are running backs. Those guys get paid.”
This lines up pretty well with the players that are actually getting paid right now.
The two biggest running back contracts in the NFL belong to Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara.
McCaffrey is equally dangerous running the ball or catching it and actually once had a season with 1000 yards each way.
Kamara isn’t as good of a runner as McCaffrey, but is another running back that is very dangerous as a wide receiver.
The next guy up on the list is Derrick Henry. Henry’s situation is unique in the NFL. The Titans have completely built their offense around him running the ball.
The 4th running back on the list is Nick Chubb, who is the NFL’s most efficient runner. He has averaged at least 5 yards per carry in every season of his career while also being a focal point of the Browns’ offense.
the only other veteran running back with a skillset that would be difficult to replace is Austin Ekeler. He currently has the 11th highest yearly salary and he couldn’t get a raise this offseason.
Luckily, the younger running backs entering the league may not have these same problems.
Bijan Robinson is expected to be a huge difference maker after being selected 8th overall. Jahmyr Gibbs was dangerous as a receiver in college. Even Zach Charbonnet showed off some receiving ability at UCLA while also being a dominant runner.
Future NFL running backs are already tweaking their game to fit this mold. Quinshon Judkins recently said that he’s working on his ability as a receiver because of the current RB market.
The NFL’s running backs have been looking for a solution to this problem and that solution may have to be changing the way they are used in a pass-heavy league.