How NFL’s big-money running backs are faring in 2024; which young ball carriers could cash in next?

To start the 2024 NFL season, lower-cost quarterbacks like Justin Fields and Sam Darnold have actually fared better than the highest paid, raising questions about the sustainability of fielding a true contender with an expensive signal-caller. Why pay a premium, the reasoning goes, if you can instead spread money across the rest of the team, supporting a so-called “mid-tier” starter with a potentially elite lineup?

The reality is more complicated, of course, but the fact it’s even a discussion speaks to this year’s sudden surge of lesser-regarded quarterbacks. So how about this year’s top-paid running backs? After years of both NFL teams and experts devaluing the position, this offseason saw a plethora of notable names cash in with big-money free-agent deals, seemingly restoring ball carriers as real weapons in a pass-happy era.

Are they living up to the hype? Justifying the splashy spending? Here’s our early 2024 assessment of the 10 highest-paid running backs of this past offseason, plus which backs could be next to cash in:

Note: AAV denotes average annual value.

Contract: 4…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-nfls-big-money-running-backs-are-faring-in-2024-which-young-ball-carriers-could-cash-in-next/

Author : Cody Benjamin

Publish date : 2024-09-26 12:16:12

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