NFL free agency a bonanza for running backs

The running back market during last year's free agency was so bad that the top backs in the league organized a Zoom meeting to discuss their options moving forward. A year later, the start of free agency was headlined by the running back carousel that took place on Monday. The top moves included Saquon Barkley (3-years, $37.75 million) to the Eagles, Josh Jacobs (four years, $48 million) to the Packers, D'Andre Swift (three years, $24 million) to the Bears, and Tony Pollard (three-year $24 million) to the Titans.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (8) is ranked as the No. 12 player on the NFL's Top 100 list going into the 2023 season. Photo by Melinda Meijer/News4usonline Austin Ekeler (two years, $11.43 million) leaves the Los Angeles Chargers to go to play for the Washington Commanders, Devin Singletary (three years, $16.5 million), Zack Moss (two years, $8 million), Antonio Gibson (three years, $11.25 million), and Gus Edwards (two years, $6.5 million) to the Chargers, are also on the move. It is finally a win for the running backs, as all nine players received multi-year deals, a far cry from what happened in 2023. Last year, the top three free agent backs, Barkley, Jacobs, and Pollard, were all slapped with the franchise tag. The decision by NFL teams led to training camp holdouts from Barkley, Jacobs, and Jonathan Taylor, who was set to become a free agent after the season. "I think if I wasn't able to get tagged, the negotiating process would have gone a lot differently. I would have a lot more leverage," Barkley said last offseason. "There are a lot of running backs out here that are key pivotal points to teams having success in this league. The way that we are getting devalued, I don't think it's fair at all, but life is not fair." No ball-carrier received a deal worth more than $6.25 million per year in 2023, and that number was set by Miles Sanders, who was coming off a 1,269-yard, 11-touchdown season. "There are average players in the NFL, but then there are outliers. Those outliers are the guys that are setting the new market and pushing the boundaries, and the reason they are doing that is because they are not the average. So, when we have these narratives coming out where they are comparing the outliers to the average, it really hurts us, and that is not fair to those guys," said Ekeler during last year's training camp. Already on the first day teams could discuss new contracts with players, four running backs have agreed to deals worth more than the $6.25 million threshold. Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones, and Joe Mixon could also surpass that once they find their new teams.

Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift (0) rushed for 1,049 yards during the 2023 NFL regular season. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline None of this would have been possible if teams had decided to abuse the franchise tag again. It is impossible to reset the market and determine the value of the top-tier players at the position when they are continuously tagged. It is likely that Barkley and Jacobs had verbal agreements in place that the organizations would allow them to become free agents if they returned from their holdouts last season. Jones and Mixon were both released in the wake of all the moves front offices made to acquire new talent at the tailback position. For a moment, it looked as if Green Bay would have arguably the best tandem in the league with the announcement they would be signing Josh Jacobs. At first, it was reported the Packers were working to restructure Jones' contract before the team ultimately waived him. "It is certainly one of the hardest decisions we've had to make in my time with the Packers and not one taken lightly. He has not only had a significant impact on the field and in the locker room, but he is one of the most beloved players in the community," said Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst on the decision to release the star running back.

After playing four seasons with the Washington Commanders, running back Antonio Gibson has signed a three-year deal with the New England Patriots. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline One is left to wonder whether or not Jones saw the money being handed out to his counterparts and decided he could make more on the open market. He was willing to take a slight pay cut to stay with the team last year when the market was dry, but now that their value has been reestablished, it made sense for him to see what he is worth. The big loser during the shuffle is Ekeler. He was responsible for organizing the Zoom meeting last year. The former Charger saw his worth drastically depreciate after posting the lowest yards per attempt (3.5) of his career and recording his least amount of receptions (51) since 2018. In his previous season with the Los Angeles, he was ninth in Offensive Player of the Year Voting and was the NFL leader in touchdowns. Ekeler would have been one of the most sought-after backs and would have received much more than $5.7 million a year had his production not dropped off. Top Image Caption: Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler tries to escape a Baltimore Ravens defender during a Sunday Night Football game on Nov. 26, 2023. Photo credit: Melinda Meijer/News4usonline Read the full article

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Ezekiel Elliott RETURNING To The Dallas Cowboys After 2024 NFL Draft

"Good morning folks! The Ezekiel Elliott deal is now happening, reported early this morning by the crew over at NFL Network - Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, etc. The Dallas Cowboys are set to sign Ezekiel Elliott to a, I assume, one-year deal. I haven't actually seen any contract details yet as of filming. I'll check in, uh, as we film this, like 7:15 a.m. Eastern Time, uh, in a little bit here, with if there's an update near the end of the video. Uh, Elliott is going to resign with the Dallas Cowboys, that's been the expectation for several days now, and the Cowboys forgot to draft a running back, so doesn't really add any surprise there either. Uh, by adding Elliot, the worst running back room stays the worst running back room in the NFL. Uh, the Cowboys, let's start positive, uh, I'm hopeful that an upgraded run-blocking offensive line with some additions can result in better short yardage and Red Zone results than what Dallas had last year, but also what Zeke did last year actually wasn't great in that area. He's not the same pass protector he was in his prime, but he's still a good pass protector. He still helps you in that area. I think Rico D's still better, um, but Zeke's not a liability in that area like, say, you know, Mini Mini DuVon is from that perspective. But after weeks of the Cowboys flirting and Jerry Jones saying how he thought Zeke played great down the stretch, which we will talk about in today's video, um, and this will be the last of my complaining that I do about the Zeke, except, man, maybe it's a lot today's live show. Uh, we will be live again this afternoon so you guys can make sure you are subscribed, hit that sub button so you don't miss out. Been a long couple days, a lot of draft picks, UDFAs yesterday, got a little bit of sleep last night and wake up and, ah, Zeke signed, which wasn't overly surprising. It was a matter of what day it ends up being, was it a Monday or a Tuesday, but that has been the trend this team was going to go down for a while there, so a lot to talk about here with Ezekiel Elliott. So hit that sub button if you haven't already. Again, as of filming, no contractual details here on the Ezekiel Elliott move, um, but this team needed running back help. At least there's something in terms of running back help coming in, I guess. Um, we'll get to, I'm going to bring in some of the old stats we had done previously on these videos. We talked about Zeke for a while now, um, so you'll see some of the last four year stats, uh, you'll see the short yardage stats, the Red Zone stats, and this alleged strong finish to Zeke's season which just didn't happen. It's not true. Um, but I do want you guys to grade the signing. I'm going to assume one-year deal with not that much money, but we'll see, uh, so A, B, C, D, or F in the comments section. It'll be the pin comment on today's video, so if that ad comes here on YouTube, take advantage of it, head down there, and let me know. Let's talk about what Zeke has done the last four years. And again, this is going to come up at a graphics, so ignore some of the old outdated... It's not a sponsor of today's show, but it's just what I had from previous times doing it, so ignore that. Uh, Ezekiel Elliott last year: 4 carries, 642 yards, three and a half yards per carry, three touchdowns. 231 carries in 2022: 876 yards, 3.82 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns as well. 2021: 237 carries, 1,000 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, 10 touchdowns. 2020: 244 carries, 979 yards, four flat on the average there, and six touchdowns. Here's my issue: this is a player who has declined. We cannot sit here and think that, ah, yes, Ezekiel Elliott is returned to form. The Patriots' supporting cast was so bad, and it was bad, to be clear, it was not a good supporting cast in New England. It was a bad group, uh, although if you can look at ESPN's pass block win rate, I believe the Patriots' run block win rate, excuse me, are actually higher than Dallas, which I don't know how much I really believe that, but it wasn't a good group there. It straight up wasn't, and Zeke has not played well. He hasn't done it since the beginning of the 2021 campaign, and unless you're giving him like 25 carries, I think he's gonna get there. That's the crux of my issue. This is a non-explosive back at this time in his NFL career, and the efficiency isn't very good either. So you're getting some short yardage stuff, which we'll get into, it's not very good, by the way, relative to what it was in his prime. This is not the same guy that we all loved at the beginning of his career. It's simply not. More stats, more stuff to come here. If you agree with me, you probably think the Cowboys still need to go trade for a running back because I don't think you have a real starter on your roster right now. Do the Cowboys still need to go get a running back? Why for yes and for no in the comments section. Everyone goes, ah, the short yardage stuff, he's great in short yardage. He actually was worse than the guys you had last year. Obviously, supporting offensive line stuff helps. We'll bring the graphics up here again. On more carries, Tony Pollard was more efficient, had more touchdowns, and on 12 more carries, had double the first downs, 15 to 30, in F to get first downs inside of three yards. He was way better at executing that than Ezekiel Elliott was last year. Rico Dowdle was actually hyper-efficient, and I wish they'd give the ball more in short yardage situations. I'm a little frustrated that they didn't go down that path. And it's not eight plus box defenders, that's the real reason for stuff. No, the loaded box percentages from last year for Ezekiel Elliott was 17.93cm, at 35. You know, Khalil Herbert was at 31%. It was higher than what Tony Pollard had because it's off in a schematic B-A-S thing, more than anything. But the defenders were not loading the boxes to stop Ezekiel in the ground game, they were not. It's not what teams did. The numbers that we can look at to be like, okay, you know, what is it like trying to be independent of the supporting casts and everything? Good numbers, like rushing yards over-expected per attempt Read the full article

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Former NFL, and USFL running back Alex Collins, 28, dies in a motorcycle...

The Running Back Problem

Whether you are on the side of the running backs, the owners, or indifferent, you have to admit: there is a running back problem. It’s all the talk around the #NFL right now. The question is, though, who or what, exactly, IS the problem?

Running backs believe they are being underpaid. Maybe they are right. Maybe they are wrong. Owners believe the market determines contracts. Maybe they are right. Maybe they are wrong. Let’s explore each.

Running backs are speaking up, claiming they are being underpaid. They are currently the fourth lowest paid position, at an average of $1.8 million per year. The only positions that get paid less are long snapper ($1.1 million), punter ($1.5 million), and fullback (1.7 million). It does seem odd that a typical “skill position” is hanging out so close to the lowest paid. More on that in a bit.

Owners and General Managers are simply letting the market dictate the amount they pay to running backs. Both the Colts and Cowboys - both with enigmatic owners - made headlines recently due to NOT paying star running backs. Why? Simply put, they don’t have to pay them.

This is where the problem lies. Despite the running back indeed being a skill position, they are easily replaced via drafts and free agency. It’s no secret the NFL has become a pass heavy, high scoring league. Dozens of rule changes make the quarterback and wide receiver almost untouchable. They certainly have all the advantages.

The inconvenient truth for running backs is this: you can win in the NFL without them. It is rare for a team to win the Super Bowl with a 1st Team All Pro Running Back. It’s even rarer for a team to win the Super Bowl with a first round drafted running back. They just don’t clearly and obviously lead to the ultimate goal - the Lombardi Trophy.

Sorry to all the stud running backs out there, but you are replaceable. I wish it was not the case so, but it is. Ezekiel Elliot is easily replaced with Tony Pollard. Dalvin Cook is easily replaced with Alexander Mattison. Jonathan Taylor will be easily replaced whenever that situation resolves itself. They are all easily replaced in the draft, in free agency, via trade, or by simply going five wide - which is going to happen more and more.

The NFL has a running back problem. Actually, to be more accurate, running backs have a running back problem.

SAN FRANCISCO #23 CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY

#nhl #nhlpredictions #oilers #stanleycup #afl #sportscomedy. With Gabe @sportsrage and Dave @talkingSportsbkConsig talking NHL Playoffs including Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights, AFL Rd 8 picks, Edmonton Cricket TV, more on New York's @SportsGridTV, @SiriusXM Ch 159, etc. Note this is my edit as this Game Time Decisions show on SportsGrid.com and on YouTube SportsGrid is not saved. I believe this show is watched, listened to by 50-60,000 per episode mostly in the USA. #Sports #SportsComedy http://www.mykaussie.tv

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