Miles Sanders of the Carolina Panthers is the latest NFL running back complaining about how teams value the position.
“You want to franchise tag and create a certain market for running backs just because you have this way of thinking that they only last three or four years,” Sanders said during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “I think it’s B.S., honestly. Almost every running back is underpaid right now.”
Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys had their rights for 2023 retained via the franchise tag during the same offseason that included the Cowboys releasing Ezekiel Elliott and the Minnesota Vikings parting ways with Dalvin Cook.
Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers recently campaigned for teams to take better care of running backs. Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts and J.K. Dobbins of the Baltimore Ravens are among noteworthy ball-carriers looking for new contracts ahead of the season.
As for Sanders, he accumulated career-bests of 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground this past season en route to helping the Philadelphia Eagles complete a trip to Super Bowl LVII. After the Eagles let the 26-year-old hit free agency, he signed a four-year deal with Carolina that Kevin Patra of the NFL’s website noted is worth up to $25.4M with $13M guaranteed.
“I don’t know what it’s gonna take,” Sanders said. “That’s a topic that needs to be brought up a little more because it sucks to be a running back right now, honestly.”
Barkley and Jacobs could sit out regular-season games without new long-term contracts, but multiple insiders have mentioned that such protests are essentially meaningless beyond those players forfeiting guaranteed money attached to the franchise tag.
“It’s definitely something that needs to be fixed,” Sanders added about the situation, “because there’s too much talent out there being underpaid as far as in the running back position.”
Sanders may be correct, but there is no sign teams will change how they view running backs at any point in the foreseeable future.
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Recap
Miles Sanders, Panthers player, reveals candid truth about the challenges of being an NFL running back
Miles Sanders of the Carolina Panthers is the latest NFL running back to criticize how teams value the position. He believes that running backs are underpaid and that their market value is limited because teams think they only last a few years. Other running backs, such as Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard, have had their rights retained through the franchise tag. Najee Harris, Jonathan Taylor, and J.K. Dobbins are also looking for new contracts. Sanders had a successful season with the Philadelphia Eagles before signing a four-year deal with the Panthers. While he feels that the situation needs to be addressed, it is unlikely that teams will change their perspective on running back value.
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