How Christian McCaffrey's and Ezekiel Elliott's contracts prove paying RBs isn't smart

Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott are known as two of the biggest stars in the entire NFL. But is that statement still accurate in 2021?

News dropped Monday that McCaffrey is officially out for the remainder of the season after playing in a total of seven games. He only played in three games in 2020. Meanwhile, Elliott may have to sit out Thursday as he deals with his own injuries. He sits with just 720 rushing yards through 11 games.

Injuries happen, but it's not like these players are on minimum deals. Both are being paid at the top of the running back market, and neither have reached 1,000 rushing yards since 2019. Given their issues, the two backs serve as cautionary tales as to why NFL teams may want to hold off on handing out major contracts to running backs.

Christian McCaffrey's and Ezekiel Elliott's current contracts

McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 million extension with the Carolina Panthers before the 2020 season. Since then, he has not stayed healthy and has rarely been on the field for a team that has its offense centered around him.

But what were the Panthers to do? He had 2,392 scrimmage yards in 2019 and looked to be an elite player in the league. That question is tough to answer because, if the Panthers did not pay him, another team likely would have.

The same is true for Elliott. He signed a six-year, $90 million deal before the 2019 season and did not even rush for 1,000 yards in 2020. It's possible he misses that mark again in 2021 if injuries hold him out during the final six weeks of the season.

The Panthers have to determine if they want to keep McCaffrey through 2025 or cut him lose after the 2022 season for a dead cap hit of $12.8 million. The Dallas Cowboys can also move on from Elliott after the 2022 season for $11.8 million.

Neither team had this reality in mind when inking their respective stars to major deals. But giving running backs big money is not something new, and doing this still seems like a bad idea. The market has just ballooned in recent years, and teams may feel pressured to keep their stars, even if they only get one or two years of peak production for the cost.

It is unfortunate, but being a running back is not at all like the quarterback position. Players do not get better with age, which is why the best running back is one on a rookie deal who is putting up great numbers. Just like what McCaffrey and Elliott did during their debuts.

The market is going to have to come back down at some point. That is true for the NFL as a whole. But running back may be a position hit the hardest because teams may finally put their foot down and use Elliott, McCaffrey, and even Derrick Henry as prime examples of players who got paid, only to finally succumb to injuries after so much wear and tear at such a grueling position.

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