The NFL Has a HUGE PROBLEM 

Jacobs should have gotten a 3 year 36 million dollar contract, with $24 million gaurnteed and an out in the 3rd year. He has been a bell cow for the Raiders for his entire career, and literally ran them into the playoffs in 2021. It's just sad.

RBs are undervalued and disposable. Soon players won't want to play the position given the massive discrepancy in workload vs pay scale.

How many problems the NFL gonna have like damn 💀🤣

Back in the 60s until the 2000s, it was harder for QB to throw the ball and harder for WRs to get open. Teams had to run the ball.

Stop picking up blitzing LBs I bet they start paying RBs

The best solution for this which could also apply to other positions would be a rookie contract performance clause. So for each player, in this case rbs, if they hit certain thresholds such as carrys, tds, yards, accolades (pro bowl, all pro), snap count, etc. there is a bonus tied to it that equals out to the difference between their yearly salary and a percentage of the salary cap. So essentially whatever the rookie reserve is for that season the league would be forced to put up the equivalent of 25% of that for bonuses each year. The pool of money for this would be created as a subsidy and paid out by the league office instead of the individual team to prevent teams from holding back their players. This way young players can get paid for dominating the league but also not interfering with team construction. This would only be during a players initial 4-5 year contract. For undrafted players or guys who are cut and change teams they are still eligible up until the 4 years if they perform well on the field.

It's sad what teams are doing with running backs. RB's take a beating, probably most among all the positions.

Problem is RB's don't last long. The elite backs aren't making it to Free Agency in their prime to be able to fairly set the RB market because of the franchise tag system. One solution for a suppressed position like this would be to make the salary cap a set figure or perhaps base it solely on the top one or two contracts. It needs to be more expensive or teams will have no incentive to pay their guys just forcing them to play on the tag for 1-3 years.

10.9 mil a year ain't too shabby IMO. I know it's not the insane $$ that say a QB, Edge, LT money but these guys are still making bank.

Every Pro Bowl counts as an escalator for the Tag. So if you make the Pro Bowl, it bumps up to Year 2 of the Tag. You make 3 Pro Bowls, they can't Tag you. Do this for all positions.

NFL wanted high scoring arena football league style games. They created the problem we have today at RB.

Its like the NFL is saying the running back is NOT worth the money and you can just plug anyone in there and get the same kind of production. Absolutely not true

Drafting a RB in the first round only gives you 5 seasons if you don't make him the highest paid RB in the league after 3 seasons. Looking at you Jerry 👀

It's not just about the money. These rb's put their body's through alot and get hit more then any other position, they also could get hurt on any play. So for them they work their whole life for that max out contract that is very much deserved in my opinion.

I would like to talk about TE pay on the other hand. Practically every super bowl contender or winner has had at minimum an above average TE, if not flat out elite. The elite TE has to be good at 4 things: pocket pro, lead block, outlet receiver, and route runner. Only the QB has more responsibilities than a TE and yet TE's are vastly underpaid considering.

Mike this is one of your best videos. The detail and various perspectives you bring are sick. Tons of research I’d imagine. The fact you can make these so timely is crazy impressive.

i see absolutely no reason why rookie RBs shouldn't be paid w higher incentives built into their rookie contracts. same incentives, but higher payouts since the likelihood that they stick around is much lower. higher cost up front, but the value btw them & WR or Qb is balanced out

RB just aren't as important as they once were. Teams are looking to build WR's more than they are RB. The game just changes as it grows and we are in one of those transitions. All of these players are so grossly over paid that its crazy. Thats why it cost hundreds of dollars for crap seats now days.

I wish I made "only" 7 or 8 million a year for playing a game.

One of the reasons teams might not want to invest in a running back is they get hurt a lot and have shorter careers, where quarterbacks are protected and tend not to get hurt so much. And year to year if you look at the leading rushers in the NFL, they tend to change a lot, so why invest a ton of money in a position where production and longevity is so uncertain? Look at Ezekiel Elliott - not the best use of money. You could’ve gotten a bunch of other people to have similar production for a fraction of the cost. Even his running mate, Pollard has outperformed him for the last three years.

No Teams want to pay a RB anymore

Resolution to the problem is to have a veteran rb contract system where its highly incentive based off of perfomance and year to year deals, that way they can be fairly compensated and teams can move on without major dead cap hits; that way the most productive backs will get paid

Rookie RBs need to start holding out for bigger paydays while in their prime

Birthday today!! Thanks Mike for the new content!!

I feel like the biggest issue that needs to be addressed is how much teams abuse the franchise tag. They tried to franchise tag devante adams and he said nah 😂

What about a limit of carries or yards gain for a running back rookie contract ? Over 500 carries or 2500 yards, the player can sign a new contract. That way a Team won't be able to run to the ground a player like Jacobs or Murray. Thanks for the content Mike !

The fullbacks are about to make a huge comeback!!!!

I personally think it will get to a point where the RB position will be canceled out by the WR position. Since Deebo and others have brought it to the leagues attention, its almost as popular as fast running QBs. Line your fastest WR up in the backfield as a Wideback. No need for the RB position on the depth chart. 🤷‍♂️ Either way, Lets go, SF! ❤️💛

I blame zeke for all this. After his contract and him not playing upto it what led to this. He single handedly destroyed the RB market

Ya know what’s facked up…the RB position is dwindlin away like the Center position is in basketball. I can’t stand it…period…& the RB takes WAY more punishment on every down than any1 else on that field…THAT is why that position should be more valued…🤷🏾‍♂️ Rookie contract 3 years instead of 5….& stop runnin those guys in the dirt!!! Betta coachin will find betta ways 2 make an RB’s career last longer. Wanna start somewhere…start there…

To be fair, Nick Chubb might be the only RB in the NFL worth 10m+ a year. Dudes so good, and he is better than Henry.

Marshawn Lynch "was" essential to the Seahawks 2013-14 Superbowl run. Obviously they also had an excellent defence- Legion of Boom. If GMs want to play analytics then yes you don't need an overpaid Running back, but generally you need a Franchise QB.

The Raiders are stupid. Josh McDaniels doesn’t know how to be a head coach. He really might not have been that good of an offensive coordinator because he had Tom freaking Brady. If I were rich Bisaccia, my favorite team would be whoever is playing the raiders.

So, the issue I have with this video is that it doesn't highlight what a RB is actually required to do. A RB has to run the ball because that's what they do, but they also have to pass protect like a lineman and catch like a WR. In today's NFL, what you did not highlight, is how a star RB like Jacobs is asked to do a lot. He played through so many injuries and missed very few games. And at the age of 25, with modern medicine and the facility, the Raiders have for strength and conditioning, JJ should get paid. I don't know enough about Barkley to speak on his situation, but Jacobs earned his money. RBs have the most demanding job and yet are dismissed like trash. The NFL should be ashamed, and players should strike. If they earned it, pay them!! Period!!

Paying big contract to any RB is not rational. In most cases RB plays are dependent from OC creativity and OL blocking skills. It is better to pay 10-12 M to a good OL than to RB. Also you can get a solid RB in 3rd / 4th round of draft so it is better strategy. More, this is really injury prone position because of colisions with big DL. So, if you pay huge / big money to RB means you are loosing your chances and franchise tag is best option in such cases. Also if you want to pay RB as GM it is better to pay another WR. Running era is over. Now is passing era. Bell refused a contract extension and tag with Steelers and did not earn the money he was offered. It is all about supply / demand, asset management and game evolution. Salary cap is your limit.

Nowadays, it's a huge mistake to pay big money to an RB. Teams can pretty much count on getting first-rate talent out of college every year. QB, WR1 and TE Are far more specialized and should be prioritized for big money contracts

There is a salary cap. You pay 20% to one guy (QB) then several other position guys will get underpaid. Who cares about everyone gettin the “bag” ultimately that money comes from the fans. I’m sick of hearing players bitch about pay. Performance based pay solves all the pay issues. Stop giving huge contracts with big up front money.

If running back are gonna cross training at wide receivers why not just play wide receiver they make more there careers are longer as well. On the flip side the NFL ran the ball 58% of the time last year. Running backs are getting fucked while qbs who throw ints on the one yard line in a super bowl while having a hof RB in the backfield keep making more. Maybe the problem isn't the rb we keep paying mediocre qbs more and more. What Daniel Jones without Barkley a back up QB

All these people who say “running backs are replaceable” gonna be the same ones making excuses if their teams don’t succeed if their starting running back decides to sit out…🤦🏾‍♂️ They need to pay these dudes.

I have ZERO respect for ANY player that holds out for a new contract. You signed a contract, do your job until it's up. If you get an extension before it ends, that's awesome but not fulfilling your end of the contract is disrespectful and stupid.

I think rbs should be able to get paid based on their stats from their rookie year as “bonus” money that wouldn’t go against the salary cap. You hinder your team buy investing more cap space in a declining asset. Maybe this is a good balance of compensating rbs for the wear and tear that 200+ carries takes. Potential example -Rookie rb cap may be $1 mil first 4 years -Resigns an extension that has a $5 mil cap hit for 3 seasons -Bonus payout for rbs could be 500k per 100 yards If you take away the competitive edge to not paying running backs I think owners will have no problem paying guys 15-20 million who are really productive if the cap number doesn’t hurt their team. Also would keep some guys who aren’t at the same level when they signed their extension from getting released

NYG Barkley missed 2 SEASONS !! Wow !! Would you pay someone to get hurt and miss seasons? Not worth it.

love Jacobs . my 2nd fav player on the team . however I'm fine with us not over paying for him. nfl should have a special type of contracts for Rbs. have it performance based and it affect the cap differently . Idk I'm not an expert on that part

RBs generally have a short shelf life. They get tackled for a living, it makes sense for GMs to take fresh legs in the draft for a fraction of the cost

Bro without a running back football is boring you need a running back this is a stupid Trend and it's going to mess up football

I think TEs and and FBs should be more valuable and get more money, they should make a rule to make that happen too.

They literally giving the rb's salaries to the qb& still run the ball a lot. New rookie contracts for RB's or they should not show up.

Change the rules and give the defense some of there power and ability to hit wr’s etc. the rules are so skewed towards high scoring, heck u can’t even breath on the qb anymore. They make the passing game to easy!

If you want to complain about running an iso for 10 mil a year give me the damn ball! We can switch jobs.

Hair is looking good. Glad you’re doing better.

I bet if they would have handed Marshawn Lynch that ball on the goal-line it would change history today with RB

running backs started being de valued because quarter backs are to overly protected by refs while dropping back to pass, old school defenses punished quarterbacks so bad they wanted to hand the ball off to running backs and not attempt to throw.

As a titans fan i understand how important the run game is but it is so stupid that the best player on your team. ( saquon and josh) are not getting paid. but teams pay their qb tens of millions of dollars.

McCaffery had zero problems getting his contract…

If the Raiders don’t pay Jacobs, that will be the final nail in my fandoms coffin. The coaching staff is a joke and are attempting to revamp an already figured out Belichick offense. They’re basically trying to become the Patriots of old, without the QB, which we had with Carr.

A fair contract with good but hard to achieve incentives. They should in my opinion get paid decently!

It's simple how to fix this: Tight ends in the past were primarily used for blocking for the run game, but now more offenses are switching to a passing-style offense, which "forced" tight ends to help in the receiving game. it worked. RBs now need to not only emphasize more on the receiving game, but also on staying healthy. The main reason why RBs are so easily drafted and dumped 5 years later is because of how easily replaceable they are. It's easy to find a guy who can rush for 1000 yards in a season. BUT, it's not easy to find a guy who can rush for 1000 yards in a season, AND receive for ~500 yards a season CONSISTENTLY. if RBs learn how to value themselves and stay healthier, while bringing something of more value to teams, they get paid. obviously, it's easier said than done tho.

As a giant fan it kills me he aint get the contract he deserves, big respect for saquan, pollard & jacobs fighting for better contracts, they deserve every penny. they run through walls & take the most damage out of the whole team

RBs are dead!!! Change your position now!!

This just goes to show how much the value of running backs has depleted

Probably need to limit the pct of the salary cap a qb can have to free up funds for the other positions.

To fix the problem… The NFL should treat the RB position differently than any other position such as this: The running back position should only count for 50% of the salary cap; that way, running backs can get paid, and teams are incentivized to spend more for quality backs.

Well, I can think of a lot of easy ways to fix this, the problem is the nflpa would have to do something for the running backs, which would go against their current strategy of having the half backs break their bodies before they get paid so the qbs can get their money!

The running backs should get to take steroids to even it out

If I’m a young football player I’m looking to stay from the RB position most RB can definitely play a different position especially if your young

Mike your hair is on point today. Good look brother.

The Browns giving Nick Chubb (aka Old Faithful) a long term deal was a no-brainer because he's been one of the most reliable and consistent RBs since being in the NFL. He doesn't have an injury history and he's averaged about 5+ yards a carry since being in the league. Saquon is a good RB, when he's healthy but he has a history of multiple serious injuries. It would be smarter to give Saquon an incentivised contract because he has a good chance of getting injured again sometime during his contract.

The thing, if you want to make special examptions for a running back in the CBA, any other group that feels undervalued can make the same claim. How many lineman, special teamers or players in the secondary would like some extra protectionism from the union.

As a Raiders fan I love me some Josh Jacobs. That said - I find it interesting that he managed to have a career year (and by a pretty wide margin) in what was essentially for him a contract year. Always suspicious to me. Then once they get paid they go back to being what they were. See: Darren Waller....got paid and his motivation was seemingly gone. The list goes on and on.... We'd love to keep JJ but he has a value associated with the position and what he brings to the team in terms of $$ and $10M is nothing to sneeze at. If he holds out it's gonna hurt him, IMO....hate to say it but it might be time to see what trade value he holds if he's not gonna be on the field for the team.

Keep in mind Saquon makes about 10 mil in endorsements annually. The 10.1 franchise tag and the endorsements puts him around 20 mil this season while being the biggest star on the most popular team in the biggest sports city in the country. And he can repeat it next year if he stays healthy… No one can gaslight me into feeling bad for him not getting what he’s due… nor do I wanna hear him say “giants for life” ever again.

It could come to a point where the running back position is lost to QB rushing ability and wide receivers lining up in the back field.

At this rate the game might as well be 7 on 7

As a fan, I like having a great running back to pull for vs a group of guys that are just alright.

As a falcons fan I truly believe that Bijan is gonna change the game following in Alvin Kamara’s footsteps. He’s out here working out with Jamar Chase and Tyreek Hill, so I believe Bijan is gonna be the turnaround.

STAY HEALTY you get paid 💯 👌 You get HURT INJURED or DONT PLAY what you think is finna happen what you think you gonna get 💯 Daniel Jones was awful yes but where was he where has he been on the FIELD through IN and OUT simple

First

As a Giants fan it hurts to see Saquon not get a contract, but if you look at the facts it makes sense why the front office won't take a huge gamble on him. Yes Saquon is a remarkable RB, top 5 in the whole league, but when you consider age and injury history, along with most backs slowing down around Saquons age, they shouldn't make a hasty decision that would come back and bite them. Keep in mind next year we gotta resign Andrew Thomas, Adoree Jackson and possibly Xavier McKinney if he goes nuts this year. Tough decision but overall right decision by the front office

I’m really wondering what the league will look like when no kids want to play running back anymore.

Mike: "Maybe if Russell Wilson handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch on the goal-line-" Me: FLASHBACKS!!!!

MIKE PRINGLE and PINBALL CLEMONS should've been HOUSEHOLD NAME 'Running Backs' in the NFL. Both would've been ELITE and ALL PRO in the NFL. PRINGLE rushed for 2000 yards like 3-4 seasons in a row and did so in a league with 2 downs to make your 10 yards (the CFL). These guys are all underpaid. CFL they play for the love of the game, and are paid $80,000 or so on average I would say. Now these guys are so greedy it's unbelievable. Linebackers and Running Backs get the glory but not the $$$ I guess. Seems that way.

The solution is to eliminate the position entirely and have receivers cross-train as runningbacks instead of the other way around.

First here

Part of your argument is bs cuz josh Jacobs has proved his value as a RB who can be a WR out of the backfield! You obviously don’t watch raiders games. There’s a difference between a QB BLIND AND NOT UTILIZING YOUR WEAPONS and A RB WHO CAN DO IT ALL AND NIT BEING UTILIZED! If you watch the tapes youll see what I’m talkin about

The NFL killed the RB position. The center of the field is less precious than the game that I grew up and loved. These new RULES make the WR position more viable. They made it easier to throw the ball and catch the ball for less of a liability.

Name a top 20 running back in the nfl right now with a Super Bowl ring? Name a top 5 running back that has won a Super Bowl in the last 20 years? 22 Chiefs- led by a 7th round rookie 21 Rams- totaled 43 rushing yards between 4 low-investment RBs 20 Bucs- led by a FA RB 19 Chiefs- led by undrafted RB 18 Pats- Sony Michel. He's terrible, but he played well so I'll give you that 17 Eagles- FA Legarret Blount 16 Patriots- FA Legarret Blount 15 Broncos- undrafted CJ Anderson It's nice to have a good RB. But from a business perspective with cap space, there's absolutely no reason to invest heavily in one

McCaffrey, gets paid 16 million a year and only plays 8 games a year.🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

Running backs do the most work and get the least reward...unless youre McCaffrey...I wonder what's different about McCaffrey hmmmm

I'm for any player that deserves his bag, getting the bag.... "BUT", what happens when the RB gets the bag (Ezekiel Elliot) THEY FALL OFF!!!!

The problem is teams spending almost 25% of cap space on one position (QB) it will continue to get worse for running backs

I can understand Jacob’s frustration but Barkley literally just got back to being himself last season so he needs to chill out lol. Ultimately it’s 2023….The NFL IS A PASSING LEAGUE‼️

You sound new to the game… RBs on average last between 3-7 years… They all can’t be Emmitt dude… You don’t pay big money for a RB after 4 years… You have to consider all the pro mileage as well as the even more college miles… Look at Zeke… DONT.. PAY… RBs… TOP… DOLLAR… We’ve known this for many years

Running back have become a plug and play position......By that i mean, if you have a strong 0-line you can win, and win with a average running back, and win Super Bowl's, which is the goal of all 32 teams right...So face it, if your gonna spend 20 plus mill a year, your basically throwing away 15 million...Let's look at the last 20 years of Super Bowl winners, you won't find one MVP being a running back....

Young players in PW , high school & college well just stop playing RB 🤦🏾‍♂️ why would they cuz it doesn’t pay so it’s not worth taking the beating. The NFL RB position will die 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

Jacobs was the best 7th rnd pick in fantasy Ive ever made! Josh has def proven he can play through bumps and bruises better pay that man something anyway! Never would've dreamed 2 backs like those 2 not getting paid nobody will want to be a RB if they keep this up

It's very SUS how BOTH had CAREER seasons?? 🤔So what have we learned? IF you want your PLAYMAKERS to score?? Simply tie a bag of 💰 to the goalpost!!👊

28 is the new 30 for RBs. Their peak productivity comes during their rookie contract, which is 5 years if they are a 1st round pick. 6 years if they get tagged. Saquon Barkley will be 28 after this next season. Not worth a second contract. Just draft his replacement. RBs need SHORTER ROOKIE CONTRACTS so they can get to their second contract at a younger age. First, eliminate the 5th year option for RBs. That's the easiest move. Then, maybe give them the choice at signing to sign for 3 years instead of 4.

The NFL Makes 20 billion a year. The NBA makes 10 billion a year. The NFL could pay all 1696 players $12 million a year with that. Most make a league minimum of $660,000. The NFL can pay these running backs much more. I think ownership needs to be removed and given to the players. No one should own these athletes! Granted, the team owners should be bought out at an appropriate price, but pay these guys and do away with ownership!

This is not a problem, this is the market. Derrick Henry - 45th pick, Nick Chubb - 35th pick, Miles Sanders - 53rd pick, Dalvin Cook - 41st pick, Aaron Jones - 182nd pick, Tony Pollard - 128th pick. Given how injury prone the position is, the change in the league from run to pass and the ability to get Day 1 starters in the 2nd round or later, you would be dumb to allocate $15 million a year to this position. You are better off drafting a running back in the 2nd through the 4th rounds every other year.

I THINK THAT BS CHART DOESNT SHOW THE WHOLE STORY! The STARTING RB for those teams carried A LOT of weight to get those teams to that championship game. That can’t be ignored.

One possible solution: allow for arbitration of the value of the franchise tag per position. If the franchise tag for running backs was $20M or even just $15M then it's likely we would see deals being made in the $13M to $11M -- with significant guarantees -- rather than hold-outs. I don't like the idea of making a change to the CBA for a position per se because, as pointed out in the video, these things evolve. Maybe arbitration for individual players when they certain measurable achievements (Pro Bowl, league leader in rushing yards) though that can be gamed by the team to disqualify them. Maybe offer performance bonuses (hitting 15+ touchdowns rushing, exceeding 1,000 yards in a season) that don't affect the salary cap?