The Plight of the NFL Running Back

They want to be compensated for playing the most brutal position in their sport, but front offices see them as expendable.

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Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Last month, the Detroit Lions unveiled a statue of their star running back from the 1990s, Barry Sanders, outside the team’s stadium. It’s hard to imagine a running back from recent decades—from any team—receiving such an honor. An electrifying back, the Hall of Famer competed in an era when running backs were among the most important players on an NFL squad. From 1990 through 2000, a running back won the AP’s most valuable player award five times. It’s happened only three times since then, most recently in 2012. In the meantime, their compensation has been drastically outpaced by players at other positions. 

While their pay has not kept pace, running backs play arguably the most brutal position in a violent sport, leaving them damaged goods in the eyes of general managers when it comes to a second contract. No matter their talent or how many yards they rack up, it doesn’t matter when it comes to dividing up the NFL cash pie; they get the table scraps.

During the offseason this year, running backs’ pay gripes took center stage, as stars like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs threatened holdouts before accepting basically what had been on the table previously. Top quarterbacks make more than $50 million a year, and leading wide receivers and defensive ends hit nearly $30 million annually. The best running backs, meanwhile, are lucky to clear $10 million. But that’s just the stars. The average NFL running back made $2.2 million in 2022, well behind quarterbacks ($6.25 million) and squarely between place kickers ($2.95 million) and punters ($1.65 million).

A group of running backs, including Barkley and Jacobs, hosted a call among themselves and with the NFLPA this summer to no avail, and the NFL filed an arbitration grievance against the union for seeming to suggest RBs should feign injury to make a contract point. 

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  1. Frankfurman

    This is interesting because it outlines how people miss basic economics in our day-to-day lives. The gap is that people confuse "value" with "price". Running backs can be valuable, but salaries are question of price, and price is set by supply and demand. The fact is that players at other positions (Quarterback, to be sure, but also Tackle, Wide Receiver, Edge Rusher, and Cornerback) are both even more central to winning (higher demand) and much harder to replace (lower supply). Rule changes (far more protection for receivers and quarterbacks) obviously hurt, but even if offenses were more run-heavy, teams would still platoon backs to keep guys fresh and only invest so much because supply (guys who can be drafted and thrown in there and be pretty productive) is ample. It isn't really all that different from say...salaries in journalism. It's easy to say: "this is valuable! It's an important service!"...all that is true. But there's a ton of young people eager to do a passable job, so the entry level roles aren't paid very well, and even the "best" ones don't make as much as say successful attorneys.

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      Ben Connelly

      I was thinking something similar. Same is true in education. We can talk about how “society” should pay teachers more but it’s really determined by supply and demand.

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    Abridge683

    You are correct to point out the 49ers acquisition of Christian McCaffrey. Just look at his performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Worth every dime of that $16 million. Of course he has entered an offense that knows how to make best use of him in a multi-layered scheme with other talented players.

    I grew up watching Jim Brown on TV. He was an amazing athlete who dominated his generation on the field. And it's important to put him in his time because NFL players of his generation were vastly different from the modern day NFL.

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  3. Mattfrommo

    The value of anything is really based on how much it hurts you to go with something (someone) of slightly lower quality. The reason the world's best heart surgeon makes less than the world's best outfielder is simple. Whether you have the world's best heart surgeon or the 10th best, you are still going to get great care. The chances of a positive outcome are not changed all that much. The difference between the best outfielder in the 10th best is monumental because of the structure of the competition.

    Apply this to running backs. The difference between the top QB and the 10th best QB in the NFL is massive in terms of outcome. The difference between the number 1 and number 10 running back, just does not mean that much to wins and losses.

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    Nate Dunlevy

    There's no problem here. Running backs are paid what they are worth. They just aren't worth as much as other positions. End of story.

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    1. MathewA

      "But when Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers can catch 107 passes in 2022, fifth most in the league and far and away the most on his team, but get paid at running back levels, something is awry."

      That doesn't actually appear to be the case.

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        Nate Dunlevy

        That's not an accurate statement. He's catching passes because of his role in the system. Were his skills truly unique, he'd be compensated for them.

        The league views him as a running back, whether he carries or catches passes, he's still a running back.

        I'm a member of the professional football writers association and covered the league for a long time. This isn't a new issue. It's been happening for more than a decade. It's only becoming a story again now because of a high-profile tantrum by one of the league's best backs.

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    Jevonjaconi

    first they came for the wing backs then the fullbacks...

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      TJ

      That’s perfect lol

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  6. Sway21

    Allow contact with receivers down field again and the running back will suddenly become a much more valuable player.

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    Jeff Younger

    Growing up, the best athlete on every team would almost always end up at RB. But if I were coaching an elite athlete in football now, I would encourage him to play another position. A shut down corner or even a backup QB make better money than most RBs, and have longer careers. We had a family member bounce around the league for 3 years as a RB, then couldn’t get a contract because rookies could be signed far cheaper. NFL = Not For Long, and the salary cap has really destroyed the earning potential of some of the greatest athletes in the game.

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  8. Matt D.

    Rules and game changes have made passing king. There are not a lot of other positions that typical, well-rounded RBs can play in the NFL. They're now commodities, so they need to somehow get the NFLPA to prioritize the position, but they're too easily sold out since it's a small position group.

    Their problem, though, is that if they try some walkout other position players can easily learn the position. It seems like the problem can really only be solved by the market or by negotiation.

    Parents, don't raise your kids to be running backs.

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    1. Bubba

      The problem *has* been solved by the market.

      As high profile as it might be, the position can be played by anyone (in the context of NFL talent. Not me.)

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      1. Matt D.

        The problem has been solved but people are still writing articles and meeting about it? The best guys are done are done at 28? Anybody can play it?

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          Nate Dunlevy

          They shouldn't be writing articles or meeting about it. It's a waste of time. It's all about nostalgia for the past and how they game used to be.

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          1. Matt D.

            The problem with saying "the market works" or "they're paid what they're worth" is that those statements ignore the CBA and rules around the draft. If a rookie was paid what he was worth, it would be a full free agency situation and the player could pick his team (from interested suitors) and push for a market rate contract. The draft rules price in compensation for rookies with some modifiers. But if you're a 4th Round draft pick, you're basically told what you will make and that you'll sign a four year deal. After those four years you can get franchised under a specific number. For running backs that number has plateaued. While somebody like Barkly was a top pick and paid as one, he does pretty well. For the lower drafted running back, their prime years are spent playing for below market value.

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    Charley Warns

    With the Patriots, a run goes for only a little more than an incomplete pass.

    Defensive backs are now so fast that what is of greatest value is a wide receiver who can separate from his defender ... along with offensive linemen who can give the wide receiver enough time to separate. If you look at the Patriots, for example, you can see how every receiver is blanketed by a defender during a replay; the receiver has to get open really fast as their line immediately crumbles after the snap making it a jail break for the defense. But if you got a guy who can get immediately open, it will force the defense to double cover him which opens up someone else ... it will force the defense to play back relieving pressure up front.

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  10. R. James

    Poor millionaires. Advanced stats just show that RB by committee is a better value plan for the teams. So the price of labor goes down as the supply goes up and demand remains fixed.

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