Najee Speaks

[Real Deal Steel]

I know you don't want it to be true, but it is.

I don't have the data on RB being one of the easiest positions to pick up. But it's pretty much always said about the position, so I assume that it's more or less true.

From what I've seen the last 8 years, it is true. It's too bad for them that they are pigeon holed this way. The best thing they can do is physically take care of themselves as best as possible and ball out on the field.

[feltdizz]

2 RBs in the first round this year (both fairly early)
0 RBs in the first round the year before
2 RBs in the first round the year before that (Najee at 24, Etienne at 25)
1 RB in the first round the year before that (@ 32 so every team got a chance to draft him.
1 RB in the first round the year before that (@ 24).

So in 2 of the last 5 years, every team in the league could have picked whoever they thought was the best RB in the draft without making a trade.

In 4 of the last 5 years, you could have the best RB in the league if you were naturally had a pick above 24 or were willing to trade it (3/4 of the teams in the league in each year, so the odds of being in that group in that span is pretty high...maybe unless you have a great QB, in which case who cares who your RB is).

The anomaly in the last 5 years is this year (where it was hard to get a RB because 2 went in the top 12).

When we drafted Najee, I wasn't a huge fan of RBs in the first. But I also thought (and wrote here) "at least we'll have the 5th year option, so we could in theory go option-tag-tag). But he hasn't been as good as I hoped he'd be (yet). And the price of the option relative to the market hasn't been as low as I though (not just for RBs...5th year options are much more expensive now then they used to be) .

It's not hard to attain good back Felt. I know you don't want it to be true, but it is.

I don't have the data on RB being one of the easiest positions to pick up. But it's pretty much always said about the position, so I assume that it's more or less true.

but in this example you are showing that the best RB has to be picked in the first round 4 out of 5 years.

and I know the best players aren?t always picked in the first round but if you want what appears to be the best or second best RB in the draft you have to pick them with your first pick most years unless you a have a top 10 pick then maybe you can grab them in the second. The chances of finding that RB ?on paper? won?t be there if you have the 25th pick in the first. Someone is scooping up the second best RB before 2.25

and WR is just as easy to replace if we are being honest. Sit DJ or Pickens for a few games and we aren?t going to see a huge difference in production.

[feltdizz]

Bills had 6 chances to draft the leading rusher in the SB. It is not that hard.

Sure not everyone has a Brady or Mahommes. Last one NOT a potential GOAT was Stafford. I cant even name his running back.

Stafford is too good? The last AVERAGE QB to win the SB? His back?

Dont make me smack you with THE CHAMPION EAGLES scrap heap duo again Dizz.

teams had 6 rounds to draft a QB with 7 SB rings.

The hell does that matter if they aren’t also drafting the team and coaching that surrounded said player in a SB?

Dumbest argument ever is using a SB winning roster to determine the value of players for a 4 year contract.

[papillon]

If I'm a GM and in need of a RB, I look in the draft and take one that I think is in the top 3 or 4 (there hasn't been a draft recently where all 3 or 4 top backs are drafted in round 1). After I have the running back and he signs a 4 year deal, I watch and see if he is producing, if he is, I take the 5th year option and tag him twice, I get a "good" back for 7 years averaging 8-10 million per at current rates (I think). Then I go back to the draft looking for the next 7 year running back. I'm not giving a 28 or 29 year RB a big second contract with a ton of guaranteed money. This is based on the way offense is being played right now, that could change of course and then I'd re-evaluate based on the changes.

Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

My thoughts are simple. I agree with everything Harris said. That being said, he is under contract for 2 more years with an option for another. Alot of things can happen in that time. Perform and see what happens.

This season is important for him though. Because the option has to be decided on after this season.

[Northern_Blitz]

Delvin Cook sounds like he is trying to get a budding war going in the AFC East. Rumored to go to Miami but now the Jets got AR to take a huge paycut ($35 mill) and are in talks with Cook.

Will be interesting to see what numbers he can get. 4 straight years of 1,000+ yards per year Pro Bowl production. That should be worth some nice coin but I doubt he gets a nice pay day.

I think he'll get paid. But I don't think he'll get term.

But teams do stupid things in bidding wars (see Watson's contract). And if you're the Jets, you're probably all in on the next couple seasons. So you probably don't care if you screw up your cap 3-5 years down the road. So maybe he gets money and term there because the plan is probably closer to the Rams than the Steelers for the next two years.

[NorthCoast]

Kahn said blame the QB salaries for the reason RBs aren't getting paid;

"You don't have to be a mathematician to figure it out, but when quarterbacks' salaries start increasing at the rate that they're increasing, at some point, it's going to have a residual effect somewhere on the roster," Khan said.

[feltdizz]

Kahn said blame the QB salaries for the reason RBs aren't getting paid;

but its not just QB’s.

What’s cold is the Giants gave their OT $111 dollars the next day after Barkley signed his 1 year deal.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

And while $18M sounds like a lot, it put him in the top-20 WRs.

Najee is already the 22nd highest paid RB by AAV.

I think many of us are worried that we will pay Najee a big contract like we tried to do with Bell. In part because he's a good leader and a good person. And because we're pretty loyal (although maybe Edmunds would disagree).

I don't think anyone would complain about giving Najee a contract that made him the 20th or so paid RB by AAV. He's currently 22nd at ~$3.3M per year on his rookie deal. If we went to something like $4 or $4.5, I don't think anyone would complain too loudly. I think even making him the 10th paid guy currently wouldn't be too bad (~ $6.5M). That ~ $6.5 is probably around what the 5th year option will be if he doesn't make a probowl. But that's the same tier of player that Edmunds* was and we didn't give him the option and then we negotiated hard on his deal and kept him at around the minimum.

But I don't think he's worth $10+ (top 8 guys). I think he's above average, but not in the company of those guys. And in the current market, those guys might not be getting those contracts either. Apparently Barkley's contract offer dropped from $13M to $11M from March to now.

* Safety is another position that's been devalued if you aren't an elite guy. My guess is that the salaries at the S position aren't that much different than RB. And that safeties play more snaps and have an equally diverse set of duties as RBs. And I bet they have better aging curves than RBs do too. But they aren't trying to form their own bloc within the union because S was never a glory position.

The AV rating is something I think is sort of valid. N. Harris is 22nd rated here, and there are some talented rookies and 2nd year players waiting to be rated but have not played or have not played enough yet. Harris will not be the 10th most in the NFL at RB for his next deal. He is a replaceable player. Very much so.

[Northern_Blitz]

but its not just QB’s.

What’s cold is the Giants gave their OT $111 dollars the next day after Barkley signed his 1 year deal.

Barkley had the option to sign a longer term deal with a higher AAV.

Also, per the CBA my understanding is that they were past the deadline for negotiation of long term contracts for players who had been tagged. A lot of this RB discussion and potential remedies kind of pretend that there isn't a CBA.

[Northern_Blitz]

Kahn said blame the QB salaries for the reason RBs aren't getting paid;

I'd also suggest that WRs are eating off RBs plates too.

This is kind of in agreement with the cap I was proposing on player salaries upthread.

[Northern_Blitz]

The AV rating is something I think is sort of valid. N. Harris is 22nd rated here, and there are some talented rookies and 2nd year players waiting to be rated but have not played or have not played enough yet. Harris will not be the 10th most in the NFL at RB for his next deal. He is a replaceable player. Very much so.

Joel, I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing here.

AAV = Average Annual Value (of a contract)

It's not based on playing time or results. So anyone who has signed a contract has an AAV.

Harris being 22nd is a function of (1) RB 2nd contracts generally being lower than rookie deals and (2) his draft position.

Najee's contract was 4 years ~$13M.

But since Bijan Robinson was drafted so much earlier, he signed a 4 year ~$22M deal. So his AAV = $6.5M (almost double Najee's).

[Captain Lemming]

teams had 6 rounds to draft a QB with 7 SB rings.

The hell does that matter if they aren?t also drafting the team and coaching that surrounded said player in a SB?

Dumbest argument ever is using a SB winning roster to determine the value of players for a 4 year contract.

Difference is Brady is a UNICORN.

Average caliber backs with rings is TYPICAL in todays NFL.

[NorthCoast]

I'd also suggest that WRs are eating off RBs plates too.

This is kind of in agreement with the cap I was proposing on player salaries upthread.

Sure. It's a passing league. It's also why OTs make more than RBs. After all they have to block on EVERY play.