The start of NFL free agency saw two prominent running backs not only be on the move, but also get a significant pay day.
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00:00 Alright big question coming into free agency was what would happen at running back and now we have our answer you got two guys in
00:05 Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs making in the 12 million dollar per year range
00:08 Barkley with the Eagles and Jacobs with the Packers
00:11 And then you have three more guys Derek Henry going to the Ravens DeAndre Swift's going to the Bears and Tony Pollard going to the
00:17 Titans and about eight million dollars per year
00:19 What does it say?
00:21 Well, it says the running back position has rebounded a little bit financially a year ago
00:25 The top of that running back market was at about six million dollars. That's why the rebound happened
00:30 I think there are three reasons why number one
00:32 We have the very recent example now of Christian McCaffrey leading the Niners to the Super Bowl
00:37 He's perhaps their most important offensive player the Niners trade high-end draft capital get him
00:42 He's the highest paid running back in football. So when you have the highest paid running back in football
00:46 Leading a team to the Super Bowl
00:49 It could cause you to reconsider the position a little bit number two
00:52 The draft class is not very good at the position and that can certainly affect free agency if a team has a hole at that spot
00:58 Or is looking to upgrade at that spot and those options aren't going to be there in the draft
01:01 It will cause them to spend a little bit more in free agency
01:05 Perhaps the best player in this draft class of that position is a guy coming off of a torn ACL and Jonathan Brooks from Texas
01:12 Obviously Blake Horne and Trey Benson
01:14 From Michigan and Florida State would be in that mix as well
01:16 And then number three is just the availability of star players. You got Barkley. You've got Henry. You've got Jacobs
01:21 These are guys who've been among the very best in the position over the last few years
01:24 So the fact that you've got those sorts of players
01:28 Available is gonna make the market tick up a little bit if you look at what these guys are making, right?
01:33 Two of the guys make it twelve million dollars a year another three making eight million dollars a year
01:37 It's well short of the top of the market at just about every position on the field
01:42 And if you look at the other offensive positions the key offensive positions
01:46 You know offensive tackles top offensive tackles make twenty five million dollars per year top receivers make twenty five million dollars per year
01:53 And you go on down the line Hunter Renfro and Courtland Sutton make fifteen per year a piece
01:57 Are those guys more valuable to an offense than a Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs?
02:02 I'd say no, and I think we got our answer this week that teams would agree with that
02:06 *Outro Music*
02:08 (upbeat music)