After running backs were viewed as a dispensable for years, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor all proved that the position could still be viewed as valuable last week. All three star running backs each signed extensions that will net them over $20 million per year. Gibbs signed the largest extension of the group, agreeing to a three-year, $67.5 million pact with the Detroit Lions that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
That agreement came days after Robinson set the mark for the highest-paid running back in NFL history, inking a three-year, $66.75 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Jonathan Taylor, meanwhile, signed a two-year, $44 million extension with the Indianapolis Colts to make him the third highest-paid player in the history of the position. Those contracts also came just a few months after the Arizona Cardinals used the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Jeremiah Love.
That selection marked the first time a running back was taken in the top five of the NFL Draft in eight years. So, with all of these major running back investments being made, are we seeing the position go through a renaissance? We asked people around the league what they thought about the extensions, and what could be next at running back.
Eric D. Williams: Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs appeared to strike a breakthrough for running backs this past week when they each signed extensions over $22 million per year just three years after being taken early in the first round of the 2023 draft. Saquon Barkley had been the only running back making over $20 million annually, with an average annual salary of $20.6 million.
While the rise in running back salaries could be seen as a good sign, it also points to Robinson and Gibbs’ role as overall playmakers who are also effective pass catchers, and it pales in comparison to the top receiver salaries in the league, according to a source I spoke with who negotiates player contracts. "In spite of the Robinson and Gibbs deals, front offices still view the running back position as a value opportunity from a cap and contract management standpoint," the league source told me. "Not a slight to Zay Flowers or any other $30 million wide receivers not named J’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson, but Robinson and Gibbs are $30 million [and maybe $40 million] per year players, if we were solely valuing them on their impact on the game.
"When considering Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s $42.15 APY (average per year) at the top of the WR market against Gibbs' $22.5 million at the top of the running back market, Smith-Njigba makes 87% more than Gibbs. Yet Smith-Njigba is not 87% more impactful than Gibbs, so we still have a long way to go before one can say the RB market is increasingly being valued more." Since joining the league in 2023, Robinson is tops in scrimmage yards at 5,648 while Gibbs is third in scrimmage yards at 5,029. Smith-Njigba is 20th in scrimmage yards over that same period with 3,613, but signed a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history at the time.
While NFL general managers theoretically can piece together a running back room that, in the aggregate, can get close to matching the production of players like Robinson and Gibbs, it’s fair to question whether that approach can bring elite production to the position. "The notion is that because you can find serviceable running backs on Day 3 of the draft and in college free agency that it’s an easily replaceable position," the contract negotiator told me. "There’s truth to that, but in my opinion, the same can be said at wide receiver, yet there’s an 87% delta between the top of the running back market and the top of the WR market." Ralph Vacchiano: The flurry of recent lucrative contract extensions for running backs was somewhat unexpected, given how NFL teams had begun to undervalue the position in recent years.
But it may not be a full-market correction, because a lot of NFL teams still view it as a big risk to invest in any but the best NFL running backs for more than a couple of years. "It really is player-dependent, and maybe a bit team-dependent, too," an NFL executive told me. "It’s not a great use of money for a team that isn’t ready to win.
If it’s what puts you over the top, then sure, a running back could make a big difference. But if you’re building a team, other positions have way more value." And even for those teams ready to win, their willingness to invest has its limits. None of the recent extensions were for more than four years, and they were all structured in a way that the teams can get out of them after a couple of years without being stuck with a large cap down the road.
"None of these deals are really long-term or cap-killing, which is the key," the executive told me. "It’s still a dangerous position. You can’t lock up too much in a spot where players can break down or wear down fast." And because of the high attrition rate, there is no trickle-down effect.
The top running backs may be getting richer, but they’re not carrying lesser backs along for the financial ride. "At the top, sure, teams see the value of Bijan and Saquon and Taylor. Maybe there are 10 to 15 guys that can draw those contracts," an NFL agent told me.
"But overall, I still think teams are wary about paying at that position. They see too many players get hurt, or have only two-to-three good seasons before going off a cliff. They’d rather put money in positions that last longer.
"That’s why even those big deals are short. They want to make sure that two or three years down the road they can get out of them without a big bill." Henry McKenna: Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are unanimously considered the NFL’s RB1 and RB2. That’s why the two players got — more or less — the same contract.
And that’s why those contracts were unlike anything we’d seen before at the position. "I think it’s a little cyclical," one AFC executive told me this week. For the longest time, the thought process around the NFL was that running backs don’t matter — not from a financial standpoint.
But Saquon Barkley upended that rule for general managers. And since the Eagles won the Super Bowl with Barkley, we’ve seen the running back market strengthen, whether it’s through deals for Gibbs and Robinson — or through Ashton Jeanty and Jeremiyah Love going in the top six picks in their respective drafts, which made them top-10 earners at their positions (at the time of their selection). "The running back market is very interesting," an NFC executive told me.
"It was one of the few markets that didn’t grow with the cap. Bijan and Gibbs are two unicorns, but it’s going to affect the entire running back market significantly. I’m sure James Cook is not happy.
As teams continue to borrow from the future, these top contracts are outpacing the cap pretty significantly. Something interesting to watch as we move forward through this agreement." Cook and the Buffalo Bills agreed to a four-year, $46 million contract last August. There are two major differences in what they got guaranteed.
First, it’s about what the teams guaranteed at signing. Cook got $28.8 million guaranteed and Gibbs got $51.4 million guaranteed. The second difference is what they’ll get paid in salary starting in 2029.
That’s the year when Gibbs is set to earn $22.3 million and Cook is set to earn $10.4 million. (Their salaries to that point are comparable.) So did Cook get ripped off? Or is he simply a different player than Gibbs and Robinson? Cook's rushing production was better than both running backs in 2025, but he isn’t quite as much of a contributor in the passing game.
And then there’s the matter of Cook’s offensive line, widely considered the NFL’s best last season. It’s fair to wonder whether Gibbs or Robinson might have put up 2,000 rushing yards behind that line in 2026. "I mean those guys who got deals done this week are special players that are more than running backs," an AFC executive texted me.
"They are weapons. So I’m ok with using space on that but not on a more traditional 2-down runner." If you can make plays in the passing game, you’re worth big money. If not, it might be a harder sell.
