No extensions for Barkley, Jacobs and Pollard

Star running back Saquon Barkley’s future is up-in-the-air as he has failed to agree on a long-term contract with the New York Giants by Monday’s deadline.

It means the franchise-tagged Barkley can now only play on a one-year deal, which was placed on him back in March. After striking a big-money deal with quarterback Daniel Jones earlier this offseason, the Giants placed the $10.091 million non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley, sparking a dramatic offseason circus which has been fuelled by spats around negotiations, which ultimately never came to fruition.

It’s the same scenario for running back Josh Jacobs, who is coming off a career year for the Las Vegas Raiders, having led the league with 1,653 rushing yards, along with 12 touchdowns, and earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honours in 2022.

Tony Pollard also failed to agree a new deal with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, but unlike the other two, Pollard had already signed his one-year franchise tag, having cemented his spot as Dallas’ new RB1 last year, with highs of 193 carries, 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns to show for his work.

What does this mean for the star running backs?

When a player is franchise tagged, they are placed on a league-agreed contract per position, which is the same for all teams. So, the rate for franchise tagging a running back in 2023 was $10.091 million, around $6 million shy of what top earner Christian McCaffrey earns annually.

Of course then, for players who are in the elite category in their field (you can make a claim that Barkley and Jacobs certainly are), the tag is a detriment, unrewarding for talent which does nothing to secure their long-term future in the league.

The Cowboys never seemed all that interested signing Pollard to a long-term contract this summer (given they splurged $90 million on a six-year contract extension for Ezekiel Elliott just four years ago), but with the deadline passing, there is still an uncertainty on how he’ll play out for the rest of the year. At this stage, he’s the on with the most to lose from holding out in 2022 – for Barkley and Jacobs though, they are taking a stand for the sake of their careers.

There is no question that all three players are integral parts to their team’s offenses. They are big-play superstars with dual-threat capabilities that can help to make or break a game. That’s what makes this stand-off such a shock; for not one of these players to manage to get a contract offer similar to what tight end Evan Engram received – Engram came off the franchise tag this year after signing a three year, $41.25 million, $24 million guaranteed deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars this week – feels like a real shame.

But with the value of running backs continuing to fall, and the price of franchise quarterback and other positions rising, a general managers desire to avoid paying top dollar for a running back, a position with such a short career-span expectancy, is currently at an all-time high.

Barkley in-particular is a player with a concerning history of injuries, and while he was completely healthy in 2022, any team would be wise to avoid tying down a player long-term who has a higher chance of being on the sideline than on the field of play. Considering the constraints of the salary cap, teams need to manage how much they pay their players. The consensus seems to be that running backs are feeling the full impact of this now popular strategy.

Three stalemates, and three big question marks hanging over of the biggest stars in the NFL today. With the window now closed on these players signing new multi-year deals to stay in the NFL, we could see Barkley, Jacobs and even Pollard all skipping training camp this summer, or even sitting out of the upcoming season altogether.