Derrick Henry: RBs 'Just Want Our Share Due' After Being Used in Commercials for NFL

Tennessee Titans superstar running back Derrick Henry is at the forefront of the push to secure more respect and better contracts for the running back position in the NFL.

Running back salaries have been a hot-button issue leading up to the start of the 2023 NFL regular season since Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys all received the franchise tag and were not given long-term deals.

The narrative seems to be that running backs break down quicker than other positions and that it is easier to find impactful at running back at a discount than other positions, but Henry is looking to change that point of view.

Speaking to Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press on Thursday, Henry said: "Have you all witnessed it? I'm pretty sure you all have. So yes, just trying to show that we are valuable as any other position. They use us in commercials and all over the place. And we just want our share due."

To Henry's point, the NFL does market running backs as stars and use them in promotional materials such as commercials, much like it does with players at better-compensated positions such as quarterback and wide receiver.

Henry is one of the lucky running backs who have gotten a high-dollar, long-term deal in recent years, signing a four-year, $50 million extension in 2020 that runs through this season.

Per Spotrac, Henry has the highest salary cap hit among running backs this season at $16.3 million, and the second-highest base salary at $10.5 million.

Henry, Pollard and Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns are the only running backs set to make at least $10 million in base salary this season.

In terms of average annual value, Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers makes the most in the NFL among running backs at $16.015 million, placing him 112th among all players in the league. Henry is 170th on the list at $12.5 million.

Henry is going to great lengths to help his running back brethren, including creating a group chat for running backs during the offseason meant to have discussions that could boost the running back market in years to come.

A three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro, Henry has long been one of the NFL's premier running backs, rushing for 1,500 or more yards in three of the past four seasons and double-digit touchdowns in five straight seasons.

Henry will turn 30 near the end of the 2023 season, though, which is an age at which running backs are typically discarded, meaning he is far from guaranteed to land another contract for more than one or two years in length.