My only problem with running back pay is that it is going backwards. CMC, Cook, Kamara, Henry etc signed deals for 13 to 16 AAV and now the top backs are having trouble getting 12 a year in a league that is basically printing money, all other positions are seeing increases in pay and the cap is going up.
I don't think AAV is the issue, I think it's guaranteed $. Even those guys didn't get a huge percentage of their deals guaranteed, they had to go out and keep performing in order to keep getting paid.
Really though, I think those guys all had better arguments to get paid than this recent crop. If a 23 year old CMC with his track record came on the market today I think he'd match or exceed the contract he got.
You aren't putting the human element into it. You show employees they are valued by paying them. When all the other positions within the NFL are making more money every year and your position is the only one making less it rubs people the wrong way, especially the employees in those positions. The scale of pay is irrelevant because this would be the case at a car wash, bowling alley, law firm, or the NFL.
I'm not really following. Teams
don't value these employees (RBs) as much as other positions, which is precisely why they aren't paid as much, and yes, it's going to rub them the wrong way but that's how it goes.
Again, it's essentially a zero sum game- if you show RBs that you value them more, that means you're showing someone else that you value them less.
I would have to look at the guarantees because I don't remember them off the top of my head, but running backs aren't even getting long term deals with little guarantees.
Completely disagree with this last part. Punter, linebackers, special teamers don't complain about lower salaries because they aren't going backwards.
These are just example numbers, but say 3 years ago running backs made up 10 percent of a teams cap space on average. That number is going down.
Your last statement is completely wrong. There is turnover every year in the NFL, money gets moved all over, high paid vets that don't perform get moved out. These backs we are talking about are the best in the game right now and in their prime and rbs as a whole are going backwards in pay. Everyone should be getting a piece of a bigger pie (cap room) the running backs are getting a smaller piece of a bigger pie.
It takes two to tango- I would argue that running backs aren't getting long term deals with little guarantees because they won't sign them, they want more guaranteed money.
You haven't shown that RBs are going backwards. Miles Sanders signing for less than Christian McCaffrey isn't because the market went backwards. And you're missing the point- punters, linebackers, and special teamers would be making less (not necessarily going backwards) if RBs made more. They would complain if they made less.
My last sentence isn't wrong at all. Again, you haven't shown that they are getting a smaller piece of the pie for starters, but why should RBs get the same piece of the pie when their value has decreased? With a salary cap that is exactly how it works- if one position gets more another (or multiple others) get less.
You can argue that, but you don't know if they are or aren't getting guarantees. Math isn't this hard.
Highest paid backs 2020
1. Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey: $16 million
2. Saints RB Alvin Kamara: $15 million
2. Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott: $15 million
4. Jets RB Le’Veon Bell: $13.1 million
5. Texans RB David Johnson: $13 million
6. Vikings RB Dalvin Cook: $12.5 million
6. Titans RB Derrick Henry: $12.5 million
8. Bengals QB Joe Mixon: $12 million
9. Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake: $8.5 million
10. Broncos RB Melvin Gordon: $8 million
Highest paid backs 2023
1. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey: $16 million
2. Saints RB Alvin Kamara: $15 million
3. Titans RB Derrick Henry: $12.5 million
4. Browns RB Nick Chubb: $12.2 million
5. Packers RB Aaron Jones: $11.5 million
6. Giants RB Saquon Barkley $10.1 million
6. Cowboys RB Tony Pollard: $10.1 million
6. Raiders RB Josh Jacobs: $10.1 million
9. Cardinals RB James: $7 million
10. Panthers RB Miles Sanders: $6.4 million
They are getting less when there is more money to go around.