Oct 30, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) adjusts his helmet during pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks
(New York) — Running backs are angry, very angry.
New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Raiders running back Josh Jacobs are considering a holdout after failing to reach long-term extensions with their respective franchises.
Holding out for training camp may be the beginning of the end for both backs. A prime example was Le’Veon Bell in 2018 who sat out the entire season, leading to the end of his Steelers tenure.
Cowboys running back Tony Pollard also failed to reach an extension but is expected to play the season on a franchise tender.
There are a slew of high-caliber backs giving their take on the news.
“At this point, just take the RB position out the game then,” Titans running back Derrick Henry tweeted out. “The ones that want to be great & work as hard as they can to give their all to an organization , just seems like it don’t even matter.”
“This is criminal,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffery tweeted. “Three of the best PLAYERS [Barkley, Jacobs, Pollard] in the entire league, regardless of position.”
“This is the kind of trash that has artificially devalued one of the most important positions in the game,” Chargers running back Austin Ekeler said. “Everyone knows it’s tough to win without a top RB and yet they act like we are discardable widgets.”
NFL running backs are in a position like they’ve never been before. And it’ll only get worse.
