The growing number of running backs angry over their lack of pay have a new ally…O.J. Simpson.
The “Juice,” a once-famous former NFL running back himself before he gained much more notoriety for…shall we say…issues away from football, took to Twitter on Tuesday to say that he was “pissed off” at the Giants and Raiders for “showing disrespect” by not meeting the contract demands of star running backs Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs.
Shame on the @Raiders @Giants and the @NFL pic.twitter.com/AB2qwF8jQ5
— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) July 19, 2023
Cowboys running back Tony Pollard also failed to reach a contract agreement with Dallas despite a stellar performance last year and the team’s decision to release veteran runner Ezekiel Elliott. Pro Football Talk reported on Monday that a league source revealed a group of running backs have organized a text chain to coordinate a social media campaign to argue for more money.
That group appears to include Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, who took to Twitter to blast the NFL pay structure.
At this point , just take the RB position out the game then . The ones that want to be great & work as hard as they can to give their all to an organization , just seems like it don’t even matter . I’m with every RB that’s fighting to get what they deserve . https://t.co/OgvBWZCKvn
— Derrick Henry (@KingHenry_2) July 17, 2023
Chargers running back Austin Ekeler echoed the complaint:
This is the kind of trash that has artificially devalued one of the most important positions in the game. Everyone knows it’s tough to win without a top RB and yet they act like we are discardable widgets. I support any RB doing whatever it takes to get his bag. https://t.co/sRYfAKwrpQ
— Austin Ekeler (@AustinEkeler) July 17, 2023
It’s easy to understand the group’s frustration. Running back is the most physically punishing position on the field, as evidenced by their short NFL lifespans. But, when it comes to the economics of the NFL pay structure, these runners are facing some very serious problems.
First, while the running back position is undoubtedly important, college football produces enough running backs of high caliber that teams can replace players relatively easily with mid-to-late round picks. Sure, everyone would love to have a Saquon Barkley on their team. However, while you may not get the same explosiveness or production you get with Barkley, a team could draft a player in the fourth round for a lot less money and get close to the same production.
The other problem is times have changed. Teams no longer need a star running back to win a Super Bowl. According to the AP, in the last 15 years, only three Super Bowl champions had a featured back who gained 1,000 yards or more in the regular season. In the 15 seasons before that? Eleven eventual Super Bowl champions had at least one runner with 1,000 regular season yards under his belt.
In short, it’s a pass first league and the NFL has never been more popular.
Barkley, Hobbs, and Pollard are great players. They’re just playing in a really, really bad era for the position they play. And it’s unlikely that the NFL pay structure will change in their favor no matter how many times O.J. Simpson tweets about it.