Did you ever notice that the flashy sports car — usually colored either cherry red or Big Bird yellow — is parked on the showroom floor of your local dealership?
The beautiful and expensive piece of machinery inspires daydreams from hundreds if not thousands of prospective customers. Yet, the actual lot is filled with rows and rows of bland colored SUVs — the preferred vehicle of families — and pickup trucks.
Those are the vehicles that sell the most and into which dealerships invest their money. That sports car is window dressing, and one which loses nearly 20 percent once it is driven off the lot.
It is often sold a few years later after the customer realizes that it is more wise to spend their money on something that will last longer and is more durable.
The modern NFL running back is that sports car.
They look great, they run great, but even though they may be valued as one of the more expensive cars on the lot, no one wants to pay sticker price.
The modern NFL running backs were reminded of their real value this past week.
New York Giant Saquon Barkley, Las Vegas Raider All-Pro Josh Jacobs and Dallas Cowboy Tony Pollard did not receive the long-term deals they wanted, and will have to play under the designated franchise tag this season, which is a little more than $10 million.
There was plenty of shock, despair and anger expressed on social media about these deals not getting done by fellow running backs Derrick Henry, Najee Harris, Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffery.
The running back brotherhood even got together this weekend for a group Zoom call about the state of the position.
But here’s the thing, no one should be surprised by this recent development.
The running back market was set early this offseason with a handful of team friendly deals.
Miles Sanders posted a career high in rushing yards and touchdowns last season for Philadelphia, and the 26-year-old managed to get a deal with Carolina that averages $6.35 million per season.
There was then David Montgomery — also only 26 — who signed a similar deal to leave Chicago for Detroit, and the man Montgomery replaced in Detroit — Jamaal Williams — signed a deal for roughly $4 million per year in New Orleans. The 28-year-old Williams led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
As it stands right now, there are only five running backs making at least $12 million per year. That includes McCaffrey, Henry, Alvin Kamara, Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon.
Need further proof of how running backs are devalued? Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott are all 28 and younger and all looking for teams, and the only position groups that make on average less money than running backs? Punters and kickers.\
There is no doubt the Raiders are better with Jacobs, who led the NFL in both rushing and yards from scrimmage last season. There is little doubt that the New York Giants are a far better offensive team with Barkley in the backfield.
But none of these teams are going to overpay for that production, and that has to largely due with what has happened in the past few decades.
Running backs started to get less money in the early 2000s, but then Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson swung the pendulum the other way — albeit briefly. Then it started to cycle back down again until the infamous Todd Gurley deal.
The Los Angeles Rams signed the star running back to a four-year, $57.5 million extension in 2018, with $45 million in guarantees.
Arizona’s David Johnson capitalized on that months later as he signed a three-year $39 million extension with nearly $32 million guaranteed. The following year saw Dallas Cowboys star Elliott hold out briefly until he got a six-year, $90 million extension.
Le’Veon Bell then took it to another level by sitting out the entire 2018 season due to the Pittsburgh Steelers slapping him with the franchise tag. Bell signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the New York Jets in 2019 with $35 million guaranteed.
How did those deals work out? They didn’t.
Gurley’s knee problems and declining production saw him get cut after the 2019 season, and he lasted only one more year in the NFL. Johnson failed to cross 1,000 rushing yards in 2018 and then lost his starting job the next season and was traded to Houston the following offseason where his career floundered.
Elliott eclipsed the 1,3000-yard rushing threshold the season of his extension but would only eclipse 1,000 yards once the next three seasons and was cut by the Cowboys in March. Bell meanwhile never played to the level he showed with the Steelers. He failed to rush for 800 yards and scored only three rushing touchdowns in 2019, hurt his hamstring early in 2020 and then was later cut by the Jets. He bounced around and played for three teams the next year and half.
To use an auto buying term, all four of those massive deals ended up being lemons. All four guys were in their primes and quickly went south even before reaching the previous dubious milestone of turning 30 years old.
That has given teams trepidation when it comes to paying their running backs. Not to mention, some of the best franchises have long been dealing with the position with a committee approach that proves to be much cheaper and has worked extremely well for the likes of the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
Does it suck that these players — who put their bodies through a barrage of pain — are limited on what they can make in the NFL? Without a doubt.
Should the Giants and Raiders figure out a way to give these players an extra million or so to make them feel more valued and help the team win games? Absolutely.
But the reality is that they won’t do that. They will simply find someone who is cheaper and just as hungry to go out there and run the football for pennies on the dollar. Will they be as good? No. Will they be serviceable enough to get the job done and not experience a dramatic dropoff in production? Yes.
The running back position is still important to modern football — unlike say the fullback which has become instinct. But it is no longer the position that teams will spend a fortune on having. Like that convertible on the showroom floor, it is a luxury purchase and not a necessity.
Raymond Partsch III is the co-host of “RP3, D-Loh & Meche” which is broadcast weekdays (11-1) on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles — Southwest Louisiana’s Sports Station.