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Last season, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs were arguably the best running backs in the NFL and were expected to secure big deals in the offseason. However, that is not the case for either of them, as both will play on franchise tags.
The Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants did not pay their running backs what they desired, and both players now have an unclear future with their respective organizations.
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith recently appeared on Sportskeeda's "BallFather Podcast" and discuss how the NFL's running back market has taken a huge hit over the past few years. Here's what he said:
"The game is changing, the game has evolved, this is a Quarterback driven League and the number of running backs that are on a roster probably haven't changed, but the number of touches have. They'd been devalued for a quarterback to throw the ball 45 times a game.
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"Now, it happens almost every game, it does. And for a guy to get 300 carries, it just doesn't happen, they have made this game more wide open. And you're paying the quarterback, an extraordinary amount of money. And you're not going to pay that guy to hand it off to a running back. And it's pure economics, it's supply and demand."
Not only did Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs suffer this offseason, but other star running backs like Austin Ekeler have also struggled to get compensated for their services. Whereas Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette have attracted minimal interest in the open market after getting released by their teams.
Saquon Barkley's future with Giants is in doubt
Saquon Barkley's future with the New York Giants is uncertain now that he has failed to sign a contract extension with the team. His availability for the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 is doubtful, and things might grow worse for the team.
It remains to be seen whether the former Penn State running back will suit up for the Giants this upcoming season, as the team has undoubtedly ruined their relationship with their most important player.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sportskeeda's BallFather Podcast.
