LAS VEGAS — If a chance to win a Super Bowl isn’t enough pressure for Christian McCaffrey, the boost every NFL running back needs to revitalize a depressed market could be on his feet. be.
McCaffrey, 27, just won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, which complicates the analytical argument that running backs start to decline at that age.
The 49ers’ victory in Super Bowl IV helped dispel the myth that champions don’t pay running backs, as he signed a four-year, $64 million contract, with a 2023 salary. The cap would have been $12 million. The 49ers did not restructure their finances for the future.
49ers general manager John Lynch, a Hall of Famer, said, “I used to get praised a lot because I played safety, but safeties weren’t getting paid enough at the time.” Ta. “There’s something that’s been around for a long time in this league, and that’s to make yourself irreplaceable. I think that’s the rule of thumb. Maybe our guy, along with some other guys, will change that. I guess. Our players are pretty special.”
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard and Austin Ekeler — nine Pro Bowls, four titles from scrimmage yards and four titles from scrimmage in touchdowns. , will be a free agent this offseason.
The free agent market bottomed out last offseason as many teams moved to per-committee backfield contracts and cost-controlled rookie contracts, but the Colts just recently signed Jonathan Taylor for a three-year, $42 million deal. He extended his contract with $26.5 million in guaranteed money.
“I hope that changes,” McCaffrey said. “If you look at history, every position has experienced stagnation because of the franchise tag or cap position. We’ve seen running backs who haven’t played in the playoffs be the most valuable player on a team. think.”
Past and present running backs are rooting for the 49ers to evolve the discussion.
“What we’re looking at is, what is the new era business model in football? Do you pay the quarterback and worry about the rest of the team? Or do you pay the quarterback and worry about the rest of the team? Do you pay guys to find a quarterback?” former Giants running back Rashad Jennings told the Post. “That’s this Super Bowl. The Kyle Shanahan model or the Andy Reid model?”
A commonly skewed statistic is that since 2009, no Super Bowl champion has paid the game’s leading rusher more than $2 million, but the Seahawks won the championship and Ray Rice signed a $15 million contract. It’s ignored that Percy Harvin outranked the highly paid Marshawn Lynch when he was acquired. bonus in the same year the Ravens won the championship.
Additionally, most of those champions had Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, while other teams did not.
According to Spotrac.com, McCaffrey’s “salary” is $1.08 million, but his cash earnings this year are $12 million.
“When you’re talking about a guy who’s a third of the offense, why would you want to cut that corner?” said NFL Network analyst and former running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Told. “That never made sense to me. You pay the special player, not the position. I think the league has been doing it wrong the last few years.”
Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher hopes the league finds a way to help running backs.
“I’d like to see some kind of incentive program for production that they offer,” said Cowher, the CBS NFL Today analyst.
Details of such programs are likely to be part of the next CBA negotiations in 2030. The NFL is cutting most of its running backs in their late 20s, which doesn’t help the current group.
“Maybe that’s been the case over the last five to 10 years, but if you look at the history of the NFL, that hasn’t been the case,” McCaffrey said. “Backs like Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk, Barry [Sanders] It was good forever. It’s up to the guy. That’s a myth, and I hope we continue to debunk it. You have to pay close attention to your body and mind and dedicate your life to this game. ”
McCaffrey’s unique pass-catching ability adds to his stature. Will the ring enhance the cause?
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt, but I don’t think it’s going to make a dramatic difference,” Barclay said. “Everyone knows how valuable Christians are. It’s just a trend.”
And a new counterpoint is always around the corner.
“Teams will still say they only did it because the 49ers were getting the quarterback on his rookie contract,” one NFL agent said. “It might help a little bit, but it’s just three or four special running backs.”
