NFL Exec Says WR Contracts are 'So Crazy' and Teams Can Eye Pass-Catching RBs to Win Super Bowl

The ballooning wide receiver market reportedly has some decision-makers around the NFL rethinking their stance on running back value.

"I think the wide receiver prices have gotten so crazy that teams are warming up to the fact you can get a super talented back with pass-catching ability instead," an AFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Paying $17 or $18 million a year for a guy like that doesn't sound so bad anymore."

No position has been more contractually devalued in the NFL than the running back position, as a number of teams utilize committees and are wary of paying players into their 30s given the wear-and-tear the position demands.

But the wide receiver market nearing quarterback levels of pay may be softening that stance. The top average annual value at the position (Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, $42.1 million) is more than double the top running back (Philly's Saquon Barkley, $20.6 million).

JSN is amazing, no doubt. But is he more than twice as valuable as a player like Barkley or Christian McCaffrey ($19 million AAV)?

The pending extensions for Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs will test just how much the NFL is changing when it comes to running back valuations. If they sign deals in the Barkley and McCaffrey range, the running back market may be more robust going forward.