Report: List of top NFL running backs who met to discuss contract woes revealed
Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler organized a Zoom call Saturday with fellow NFL running backs to discuss the position’s current market.
Dov Kleiman of BroBible provided the list of running backs who attended alongside Ekeler: The New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley, Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry, Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Pollard, Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Najee Harris, Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon and Baltimore Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins.
Ekeler arranged the meeting in the aftermath of Barkley, Jacobs and Pollard failing to sign long-term extensions with their respective teams by this past Monday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players. Both Barkley and Jacobs, the reigning NFL-leading rusher, have not signed their franchise tags and intend to holdout of training camp. In Jacobs’ situation, the two sides reportedly were far apart on a deal.
Ahead of the meeting, several running backs voiced their displeasure on Twitter with how the position is treated and perceived around the NFL.
“At this point, just take the RB position out the game then,” Henry tweeted. “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. I’m with every RB that’s fighting to get what they deserve.”
Saquon Barkley speaks out after becoming latest NFL RB to not receive long-term deal
Making a recent appearance on “The Money Matters” podcast, Barkley said that sitting out the entire season could be an effective way of showing how valuable he is to the Giants. Le’Veon Bell pulled off the exact scenario in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He then landed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the New York Jets the following offseason.
“My leverage is I could say, ‘f— you’ to the Giants. I could say, ‘f— you to my teammates,’” Barkley said, via Kleiman. “And be like, ‘You want me to show you my worth? You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won’t show up. I won’t play a down.’ And that’s a play I could use.”