Getty Image / Brendan Moran
Over the course of this year’s NFL offseason, running back pay has taken center stage.
Even some of the league’s top players at the position have struggled to get themselves paid over the last few months.
As a result, there has been a lot of discussion about why the running back market is the way it is right now.
The general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers offered his explanation today.
Omar Khan believes that growing quarterback contracts are responsible for declining running backs salaries.
When it comes to the NFL's latest RB buzz, #Steelers GM Omar Khan made his opinions known. And it sounds like he is putting the blame at the feet of NFL quarterbacks. @TimBenzPGH https://t.co/LRoB9aZcpA
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) July 28, 2023
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure it out, but when quarterbacks’ salaries start increasing at the rate that they’re increasing, at some point, it’s going to have a residual effect somewhere on the roster,” Khan said.
Quarterback salaries have certainly made it more difficult to pay running backs in a salary-capped league. However, that definitely isn’t the only factor.
The Giants having to pay Daniel Jones $40 million per year certainly doesn’t make it any easier to pay Saquon Barkley, but it also didn’t stop them from giving Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence contract extensions worth more than $20 million per year.
The Vikings also didn’t really need to choose between Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins, but upcoming contract extensions for TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson probably helped them make the decision to move on from Cook in favor of the much cheaper Alexander Mattison.
Quarterback contract growth is clearly a factor in declining running back contracts, but it hasn’t stopped contracts around the league from growing at other positions.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a big decision of their own to make in a few years when Najee Harris’ contract is expiring. If the Steelers end up using the franchise tag on Harris or not re-signing him, it won’t be all Kenny Pickett’s fault.