Giants star won't appreciate the NFL's latest trend
Negotiations are rarely easy-breezy in life, but even harder to get done in the NFL. No position knows that better than running backs, however, with a growing trend to devalue the position. Saquon Barkley is firmly entrenched in that battle, but a deeper dive shows that he may have already lost the war. Unless you […]
Negotiations are rarely easy-breezy in life, but even harder to get done in the NFL.
No position knows that better than running backs, however, with a growing trend to devalue the position.
Saquon Barkley is firmly entrenched in that battle, but a deeper dive shows that he may have already lost the war.
Unless you have been living under a rock, most of you reading this are up to date on the drama surrounding Barkley and his future with the New York Giants. The Pro Bowler "just wants to be respected" something I think all employees can relate to.
But the problem isn't that the Giants don't respect Saquon Barkley, but rather that the NFL as a whole no longer does.
A quick landscape of the league shows a first-team All-Pro and 2022 rushing title holder Josh Jacobs in the same situation as Barkley, only the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly won't even negotiate with Jacobs, something the Giants have done with their star back.
Then we have the recent release of Dalvin Cook by Minnesota, who all he's doing is coming off his fourth consecutive 1000-yard rushing season, proving to be more durable than ever after starting all 17 games and attending four straight Pro Bowls.
To further emphasize the point, not only are all these backs talented but they all are 27 years old or under, meaning they are still in, if not approaching the prime of their career.
So what gives? Why are these players being thrown to the wayside as if they are a dime a dozen, especially guys like Jacobs and Barkley who were valuable picks at 24th and 2nd overall in their respective drafts?
It's a simple business mainly.
The supply and demand of backs no longer favor the superstar rusher. The NFL has become more pass centric, making the running back position less valuable. But adding to that is the ability to find late-round gems like Elijah Mitchell and Isiah Pacheco who come in and provide immediate impact as running backs taken late on day three.
And even if you want to view the aforementioned as outliers, last year's NFL Draft saw Breece Hall and Ken Walker both fall to the second round, yet before Hall's ACL tear, he was the runaway favorite for rookie of the year, and Walker recorded over 1000 yards on the ground in only 11 starts.
Teams are now looking to cut costs, rotate bodies, and find easily replaceable talent at the position, taking mid-late round flyers on collegiate backs every year in the draft.
That means it will take someone extraordinary to buck the trend of running back devaluation, with Barkley hoping to be the poster child.
Featured image via: © Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC
