RB Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley Miss Out On Long Term Contracts At Deadline

Monday July 17th was the NFL’s deadline for players who received franchise tags to get long term contracts, two major players who missed out were Raiders’ Josh Jacobs and Giants’ Saquon Barkley. Both players are now threatening to sit out for training camp and possibly to entire 2023 NFL season. Jacobs led the league in rushing yards in 2023, and basically put Sin City’s football team on his back.  Saquon was the the Giant’s offensive identity, running the 4th most play action in the NFL. So, if both players where so highly involved and important to their teams, why were neither of them able to get a contract extension?

Front Offices don’t value running backs the way a running back values himself.

If you look at teams that have won a Super Bowl over the last 4 years, none of those teams have a dominate run game. The Chiefs with Isiah Pacheco, the Rams with Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers, and the Bucs with Leonard Fournette. None of those teams have a dominate run game, however they all had one thing in common a dominate QB-WR duo, Chiefs with Mahomes and Hill or Kelce, Rams with Stafford and Kupp and the Bucs with Brady and Godwin/Evans.

NFL front offices have realized over the course of the last half decade, that the NFL is a passing league not like in the 70s where teams would run the ball 60% of the time. With the way the the WR market has molded, why would GMs pay both WRs, QBs RBs top dollar? WRs have a specific skill set, so do QBs but RBs, their success is created from the five big guys they have blocking for them.

What does it mean now that they didn’t sign long term deals?

Saquon and Jacobs are definitely not happy that is for sure, they are threatening not to play for the rest of the season. This would really be detrimental to the Giants playoffs chance if they lose Barkley as they ran the 4th most play action in the league last year. Jacobs also rushed for the most in the league last year, it’s not like the Raiders were contending for a playoff spot but this will definitely lower their ceiling. But both teams obviously don’t value Saquon and Jacobs as much as they are really worth, so it will be interesting to see how The Giants and Raiders record will impact the running back market this year, if at all.

Running backs around the league voice their opinion

Derrick Henry was the first to chime in saying sarcastically “take the running back position out of the game”, Henry believes RBs shouldn’t be putting their body’s on the line if they aren’t going to get the respect of all the other offensive players. Colts RB Johnathan Taylor said “Wow.” Taylor thinks is doesn’t matter how much you do for an organization because in the end you are still a running back.

Players have the right to be mad, they work their butts off and play one of the most dangerous positions on the field. But in the end they aren’t respected like the other offensive players are, the average kicker salary is actually higher than a running back. That should tell you everything you need to know.