PITTSBURGH — In April, it was Josh Jacobs in the news. Last week, it was Dalvin Cook. This week, it is Saquon Barkley. One week soon, it could be Najee Harris.
Mothers, don't let your boys grow up to be running backs.
"Running backs are GETTING HOSED in the NFL."
That was one of a series of tweets the other day by former quarterback-turned-football analyst Robert Griffin III.
"Running backs deserve better. They have the BIGGEST workload. They take the most hits. They aren't getting paid what they have EARNED."
That is true.
So is this:
Running backs are the least valued position in the NFL.
Did you know that, special teamers aside, running backs make less on average than any other position? Less even than tight ends?
Griffin went on his Twitter rampage after the Minnesota Vikings released Cook with three years remaining on his contract. Cook rushed for more than 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl in each of the past four seasons. I think I remember him running for about 500 yards (actually 205) in a 36-28 win against the Steelers in December 2021.
Barkley, the former Penn Stater, is another example. He has refused to sign the New York Football Giants' franchise tag for $10.1 million this season after rushing for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns and leading the team to the playoffs last season for the first time in six years. He has suggested he might hold out during training camp and even into the season if he doesn't have a long-term deal by the July 17 deadline.
Add Las Vegas' Josh Jacobs to the list of unhappy running backs. He also has refused to sign a franchise tag for $10.1 million with the Raiders this season after making first-team All-Pro last season while leading the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns. He is just 25. No word if he will consider a holdout if he doesn't have a multiyear deal by the July 17 deadline.
More from Griffin:
"They run you guys in the dirt and they don't pay you what you have earned. Sad. Unjust. Ridiculous."
This is why NFL running backs tried — and failed — to get their own union in 2019.
At least Cook received a second contract from the Vikings even if the team isn't fully honoring it. Barkley and Jacobs also might get a second deal from their teams, although there is no guarantee those deals, should they happen, will be completely honored.
Cook, Barkley and Jacobs are lucky in a sense. Most NFL running backs don't get second contracts. Their average career is 2.57 years. Teams get all they can out of their backs and then toss them aside for younger, cheaper players.
I'm left to wonder about what will happen with Harris.
The 2023 season will be Harris' third in the NFL. The Steelers can control his contractual rights for two more seasons after this one if they pick up his fifth-year option.
I'm not sure I like Harris' chances to get a second contract.
Harris has a lot going for him. He's a good running back, although not quite on the same level as Cook, Barkley and Jacobs. Mike Tomlin loves him to the point he made Harris his youngest team captain last season when Harris was 24.
"Najee is a born leader," Tomlin said on "The Pivot" podcast with Ryan Clark a year ago. "He's got good football morals. He sees the game the way we see the game. He wants to be a part of what's right. He can bring out the best in his teammates."
That might be true.
But it's fair to wonder if Harris will last physically for three more seasons. For the most part, Tomlin has liked having one man as his primary ball-toter. Remember when he said the Steelers were going to "ride Willie [Parker] until the wheels fall off"?
Well, the wheels did fall off Parker. He was never the same player after fracturing his right fibula in a game in St. Louis late in the 2007 season.
Harris led the NFL with 381 touches as a rookie in 2021. He ranked sixth with 313 touches last season when Tomlin eased his workload a bit by using Jaylen Warren as something of a complementary back.
Who knows how the breakdown will go this season?
All we know for sure is the Steelers are expected to be a run-heavy team behind their rebuilt offensive line.
This seems like the right time for one more tweet from Griffin about the plight of NFL running backs:
"Maybe they should go play in Saudi Arabia. They're giving out money like hotcakes over there."
That's some thought, right?
Wouldn't you hate to see Harris in the new Middle Eastern league?
