The deadline for franchise-tagged players ended Monday, and none of the three tagged running backs — the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs and the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard — agreed to long-term contracts. Pollard, who signed his franchise bid back in March, is unlikely to miss much time in the future, but both Barkley and Jacobs are reportedly planning outages.
Barkley, who had a stellar season for 1,650 yards and 10 touchdowns in which he also led the team in receptions (57), seemed frustrated Monday when it became clear a deal wasn’t going through.
Jacobs, meanwhile, tried to clarify his goals for a long-term contract and also had a lot to say about his achievements.
Jacobs led the league last season with 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage, both ranking second in franchise history behind Hall of Famer great Marcus Allen in 1985. Jacobs ranks in the Raiders history for fifth in career rushing yards and third in career rushing touchdowns.
The disappointing day for the running backs particularly angered Titans star Derrick Henry, who took to Twitter to express his frustration.
It should be noted that Henry is one of the few running backs actually playing on a long-term secondary contract. Christian McCaffrey, who like Henry got his money back in 2020, expressed similar frustration and on Monday described the process as “criminal”.
Jonathan Taylor, who will be a free agent after this season, also had some thoughts.
Austin Ekeler, who was given permission to speak to teams about trades earlier this offseason, was one of several other standout players to speak out.
Former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs also defended his position.
Aaron Jones also spoke to CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell about the lack of running back value.
“It’s crazy to me because there’s so much value in running backs. You have to be able to protect and provide pass protection just like an offensive lineman. You have to know all the offensive line calls on the front lines and who they are working with.” . You also have to let the ball run while 11 players try to hit you. You make it difficult to take yourself off the field, so you are involved in the passing game. You do as much as everyone else except the quarterback and maybe the center [on offense]. I really don’t understand how the position was devalued but I hope our value comes back because if you look closely, running backs make a big difference in the game. Whether it’s protecting the quarterback – acting as a sixth man on defense – running the ball, or taking the pressure off the quarterback [in the passing game].”