After a lot of discourse over just how underpaid Running Backs are, things seem to be moving in a positive direction with this year’s contracts. Even if there’s still a long way to go to reach a good league-wide average. However, this offseason, eight running backs have signed contracts worth upwards of $7 million on average per year contracts.
Advertisement
This seems a huge improvement when you consider that there were only five such contracts in the past three years combined, per Rich Eisen. As he rightly points out, “8 running backs signed multi-year contracts worth at least $7 million per year on average, this offseason. There were only five such contracts signed by running backs the previous three years combined.”
Christian McAffrey signed a massive 2-year extension with the 49ers this offseason, worth an unprecedented $38 million, taking his annual salary to $19 million, per Sportrac. D’Andre Swift, Derrick Henry, and Tony Pollard all signed contracts this offseason that took their annual salary above $7 million.
In contrast, during the 2023 free-agency period, no free-agent running back was able to hit $7 million in annual salary. However, is it still a fair share of the expanding economic pie when quarterback and WR contracts are touching the sky?
It’s Still a Tough Business to be a Running Back
Eisen seems to want to point to a tide of change in the running back market. But if we see the growth in the salary cap to the increase in RB salaries, the contrast becomes clear once again. As Chris Brockman pointed out, “The cap’s going up, the money’s gotta go somewhere. This is not an actual reflection of the league’s value of the running back position.”
McAffrey, undoubtedly, is a weapon for the 49ers. And while he does have the biggest RB contract, his salary pales in comparison to any contract awarded to say, a top-level WR like Justin Jefferson. His father pointed to the same thing when he said that his contract may be comparatively big, but it’s not that of a true weapon.
Aaron Jones made his mark in franchise RB history in Green Bay and was promptly traded to the Minnesota Vikings, with one year still remaining on his $12 million non-guaranteed contract with the Packers, after an injury-plagued ’23 season. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to take a big enough pay cut in Green Bay to be retained. So, while, on the surface, the Running Back contracts are looking better each year, it seems it’s still a tough business to be an RB in the NFL.
