NFL Rumors: Mike Shanahan, Analytics Blamed for Poor RB Contract Market by Insider

The state of the running back position is in a bit of turmoil after a trio of star players failed to receive long-term extensions from their respective teams earlier this week.

The New York Giants' Saquon Barkley, Las Vegas Raiders' Josh Jacobs and Dallas Cowboys' Tony Pollard have all been franchise tagged and couldn't come to an agreement on new deals they feel they deserve. So what's the reason for the lack of commitment to experienced running backs?

"Blame Mike Shanahan and the analytics community," a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As Florio pointed out, Shanahan was the first to prove he can insert any running back into his system and not miss a beat. When Hall-of-Fame speedster Terrell Davis tore his ACL in 1999, Olandis Gary registered 1,159 rushing yards for the Denver Broncos that season. The following year, Mike Anderson recorded 1,489 yards.

That philosophy carried over to Shanahan's son Kyle Shanahan, who has implemented it to perfection with the San Francisco 49ers over the past few years. Since he was hired in 2017, the 49ers have had a different leading rusher every season: Carlos Hyde (2017), Matt Breida (2018), Raheem Mostert (2019), Jeff Wilson (2020), Elijah Mitchell (2021), and Christian McCaffrey (2022).

Besides McCaffrey, none of those players are household names. The 27-year-old happens to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL at $16 million per year, but he signed that deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 before being traded to San Francisco last year. No running back has received a multiyear extension worth an annual value of $10 million or more per year since Cleveland Browns star Nick Chubb in 2021.

Florio reported on Tuesday that veteran running backs "have organized a group text chain, during which they have been commiserating about the current market at the position — and brainstorming regarding strategies for improving the situation."

However, it's unclear what the solution would be to help create a positive outlook for running backs going forward.