Turns out, the demise of the NFL running back has not been greatly exaggerated. One hasn't been taken in the first round of the draft since 2012 (that year, the Browns traded up to No. 3 for Trent Richardson), and now those big-money contracts are reserved for, well, just about anybody not lining up at running back.
Yes, the Bills traded for LeSean McCoy last week and reportedly gave him a five-year, $40 million contract extension. But in this day and age, that's the exception to a rule that has depressed running back salaries because, the theory goes, you can find comparable talent on the cheap. It makes little sense to invest a nontrivial portion of the salary cap on the position.
(We wrote in great detail on just this in August 2011, when the Titans were about to give Chris Johnson a four-year, $53.5 million extension that $30 million in guarantees. Two seasons later, Tennessee released Johnson.)
We mention all this because Steven Jackson, the Rams' 2004 first-round pick who was a workhorse in St. Louis before two subpar seasons in Atlanta, has started SaveTheRunningBack.org, a grass-roots effort to -- you guessed it -- save NFL running backs from obscurity, ridicule and, ultimately, being undervalued.
Fans can sign a petition and send this message to their favorite team:
Dear Team Representative,
I am writing you on behalf of SaveTheRunningBack.org, an organization founded by Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson, to express my dissatisfaction with the way that running backs are being treated in professional football today.
Running backs aren't all the same. They're not interchangeable. I yearn for the days of yesteryear, when players like Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith were allowed to run free. The NFL was built on the carries of men like them.
Please value the running back position in the way that it was meant to be valued. Because when we do, everybody wins. Learn more at http://www.savetherunningback.org.
The problem isn't that running backs aren't valuable -- you could make the case that Le'Veon Bell is more important to the Steelers' offense than Antonio Brown -- it's that their shelf life is markedly shorter than quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends or offensive linemen.
Still, we applaud Jackson's efforts, even if they're in vain.
