Despite the celebrity status that many NFL running backs enjoy, the market for the position has not advanced like market for quarterbacks and wide receivers has.
[RELATED: Largest 2019 Quarterback Cap Hits]
Here’s a look at the top 10 RB cap hits for 2019, with a few notes and observations accompanying the figures:
Running backs:
- David Johnson (Cardinals): $9.75MM
- Todd Gurley (Rams): $9.2MM
- LeSean McCoy (Bills): $9.05MM
- Le’Veon Bell (Jets): $8.97MM
- Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys): $7.94MM
- Leonard Fournette (Jaguars): $7.4MM
- Lamar Miller (Texans): $7.2MM
- Saquon Barkley (Giants): $7.1MM
- Devonta Freeman (Falcons): $6.75MM
- Jerick McKinnon (49ers): $5.75MM
- Surprised to see McKinnon at the bottom of the top 10 after he inked a lucrative free agent deal with the Niners just one year ago? The Jet still has plenty of money coming to him on his four-year, $30MM deal, but the deal was structured to give him the lowest cap hit in ’19. Next year, McKinnon’s hit will rise to $8.8MM, then elevate to $9.2MM in 2021, the final scheduled year of the contract. McKinnon is looking to bounce back from his lost 2018 season this year, but if he doesn’t, the Niners will be able to escape his contract and save $4.8MM next year against $4MM in dead money.
- It’s a similar story for Bell, who has the second-highest paying contract of any running back in terms of overall annual value, with a relatively affordable $8.97MM cap hit for the coming year. As of this writing, he’s slated to have the second-highest hit of any RB in 2020 at a whopping $15.5MM.
- Despite playing on a rookie contract, Barkley makes the list with a $7MM+ cap hit for his sophomore season. This, perhaps more than any other deal on this list, illustrates the gap in pay between RBs and QBs. Sam Darnold, drafted one spot behind Barkley in 2018, has the 25th highest cap hit of any QB this year.