Getty Eagles RB Miles Sanders is playing with an edge at 2022 training camp.
Veteran running backs are getting no love these days. They have gone from divas to pariahs virtually overnight due to increased concerns about their bodies breaking down from overuse. There’s always a cheaper, younger version coming off the assembly line every April.
Well, Miles Sanders has seen and heard enough. The former star rusher for the Philadelphia Eagles expressed his frustration with the way teams are undervaluing the position during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. Sanders thinks the system is broken and needs to be fixed. Problem is, the people writing out the checks don’t seem to care.
“I think it’s BS honestly. Almost every running back in the league is underpaid right now,” Sanders told Eisen. “I don’t know what it’s going to take, but it’s a topic that needs to be brought up a little bit more because it sucks to be a running back right now honestly.”
Sanders inked a four-year, $25.4 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason after no reported offer came from Philadelphia. He’ll earn roughly $6.35 million per year, which actually puts him on the higher end of the pay scale. Three of his peers — Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard — all received the dreaded franchise tag as rumors swirl over whether long-term contracts will ever see the light of day. Running backs looking to cash out on second contracts are finding themselves in a real predicament. It’s a dangerous trend.
“It’s nothing that we’re doing wrong. We’re doing everything that we have to do as far as on the field and stuff like that,” Sanders said. “And I think for GMs or owners or whatever, to think that running backs is not as valued as much is a lie because you gotta see how everything plays out. You gotta see what guys like Christian McCaffrey do, things that Saquon do, things that Josh Jacobs do consistently each year.
“I think that Josh is probably the most consistent back in the league right now as far as stats and his load and what he produces each and every year. You want to franchise tag and create a certain, I guess, market for running backs because you have this way of thinking that they only last 3-4 years.”
102 Running Backs have been signed to a rookie or veteran contract this offseason, combining for $138.8M guaranteed – an average of $1.3M per player.
Largest Guarantee
Bijan Robinson: $22M
Largest Vet. Guarantee
Miles Sanders: $13M
That market is set at $10.091 million to be exact. That’s the going rate for a Pro Bowl starter at running back.
“It is what it is. It makes me hungrier,” Sanders said. “I’m going to do what I do each and every year and hopefully force a new contract.”
Eagles Let Pro Bowl Starter Walk in Free Agency
Philadelphia decided that handing out a lucrative extension to Sanders didn’t make sense. Instead, the team signed Rashaad Penny ($1.35 million) and traded for D’Andre Swift ($1.77 million). Those two will fight for reps once training camp opens on July 25, with Boston Scott and Kenny Gainwell presumably mixing in at some point.
Here’s a clip of Miles Sanders talking to GM Scott Fitterer and HC Frank Reich about “catching more balls” where they specifically mention how he caught 50 in PHI.
Move him up.
Meanwhile, Sanders tops the depth chart in Carolina where he’s expected to be a three-down back. The former second-round pick doesn’t know why the Eagles gave up on him — “ask them” as he famously said — and he’s not ready to talk about it. He was back in town on June 27 for a youth football camp and dodged questions, via The Inquirer’s Josh Tolentino:
Sanders declined to discuss specifics regarding his departure from the Eagles. Asked to compare differences between Philadelphia and Carolina, Sanders offered a brief reply: “It’s cool. But I’m just focused on the camp right now.”
Saquon Barkley Threatening to Sit Out Season
Giants starter Saquon Barkley hasn’t taken too kindly to getting slapped with the franchise tag. He still hasn’t signed the tag — July 17 marks the deadline for doing that — and the running back has threatened to sit out the entire 2023 campaign if he doesn’t get a long-term deal. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been keeping tabs on Barkley, according to The New York Post.
“We’re talking all the time, staying in touch, getting together when we can,” Jones told Ryan Dunleavy. “I know he’s got a lot going on, and I really hope the two sides can come together.”
