Monday at 4 p.m. was the deadline for NFL teams to sign franchised players to a long-term extension.
Said deadline came and went with three running backs, Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, and Josh Jacobs, failing to strike a deal.
The discourse and discussion surrounding the running back is a fascinating one. Their tag number (~$10 million) is the lowest in the league, and it’s the position that is most often viewed as “replaceable” in today’s NFL.
WEEI’s Andy Gresh and Andy Hart spoke about the devaluation of the running back on Tuesday’s Gresh and Fauria:
gresh and fauria: Does the Running back Market need to be re-evaluated?
“The NFL is pretty damn complicit in treating running backs the way they do,” Gresh said of the league and its decimated value on running backs. “I’m not going to go as far to say that it is collusion. But oh boy, There are a lot of like-minded general managers on the whole when it comes to the running back spot.”
"You say collusion," Hart responded. "I think smart. I think ‘observational skills’. Doing business as business is being done.”
“You and I are on another planet," Gresh told Hart. "And this is where I have to nail the rest of our brethren in the industry:
‘let’s parrot the easy thing’
*parrot noise*
‘you don’t need a running back to win the Super Bowl’
*parrot noise*
‘we’ll just parrot that all the time’
"And now it’s been almost like gospel. Because, unfortunately, there’s been the narrative of ‘well you don’t need one to win it’ and therefore it’s not important.”
Well, Gresh, the proof is, unfortunately, in the pudding. Here's a look at the list of leading rushers for the last 10 Super Bowl winners:
‘23 - Isaiah Pacheco
‘22 - Sony Michel
‘21 - Ronald Jones
‘20 - Damien Williams
‘19 - Sony Michel
‘18 - LeGarrette Blount
‘17 - LeGarrette Blount
‘16 - Ronnie Hillman
‘15 - Shane Vereen
‘14 - Marshawn Lynch
Chargers running back Austin Ekeler tweeted on Monday that the media has “artificially devalued one of the most important positions in the game” by using the above talking point.
While I am certainly pro-player, and these players should hold out, ask for more money, etc., it’s hard to argue that this is a false narrative.
I’m not sure how the position gets its value back in today’s pass-happy NFL.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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