With Ezekiel Elliott signing with the Patriots and Dalvin Cook getting a contract from their rival Jets, one former New England player is left wondering if that will change the running back market around the NFL.
Specifically with Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs.
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On “Good Morning Football,” Jason McCourty questioned whether Jacobs and Taylor will use the signings of Elliott and Cook as leverage and what it means overall for the market for running backs.
“I look at the signings yesterday of Dalvin Coo and Ezekiel Elliott and it’s like, ‘All right, what does it mean for the other running backs?’” McCourty said. “Josh Jacobs still isn’t in training camp. Jonathan Taylor still isn’t really taking part in training camp. Do those two guys look at this and say, ‘All right. These two guys are off the market. They signed for X amount of dollars. We might as well go take what’s there?’ Or do they look at it where it’s just like, ‘Wow, two really good players are now off the market. It’s getting kind of slim for our teams if they decide to move on from us. Who are they going to sign?’ Maybe they look at it as more leverage. I’m intrigued by that storyline of the running back market that’s taken place all offseason.”
The Raiders and Jacobs were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal and the RB will now have to play under the $10.1 million franchise tag. The soonest the two sides can negotiate a deal again is next offseason. But Jacobs hasn’t signed his franchise tag and hasn’t participated in training camp.
Jacobs, Las Vegas’ first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, had a career year in 2022 with 340 carries, 1,653 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards. He led the league in multiple categories and had 86-yard run was the longest of last season.
Taylor has also been in a dispute with his team as he seeks a long-term contract with the Indianapolis Colts. He was away from the team last week but returned Monday, though the running back asked for a trade earlier this summer. ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported that Taylor — who’s on the physically unable to perform list — plans to resume activities with Indy once he’s fully healthy from offseason ankle surgery.
Elliott and Cook aren’t in their primes like Jacobs and Taylor are, but running backs receiving long-term, lucrative contracts aren’t as common as they once were. It’s unclear how the latter players’ situations will play out, but Week 1 is only getting closer by the day.
