Josh Jacobs on Running Back Union, NFL Pay, and Player Unity

The Running Back Narrative in the NFL

• 🏈 Josh Jacobs addresses the NFL narrative that running backs lose value after their first contract, noting that few players outperform their initial deals.
• 🎯 He highlights that historically, only a few running backs like Derrick Henry have earned second contracts that exceeded their first, making premium pay a perceived bad business move.
• 💡 Jacobs points out that he, along with other backs like Saquon Barkley and Austin Ekeler, have worked to change this narrative by demonstrating high production and value.

Efforts to Form a Running Back Union

• 🤝 Player-led Zoom meetings were held to discuss fair compensation and the need for change among NFL running backs.
• 🗣️ Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley communicated to compare contract offers and understand the market, aiming for a unified front.
• 📉 The initiative to form a union or collectively refuse to sign new deals ultimately failed due to a lack of player unity and individual selfishness.
• 🚶‍♂️ Many players who vocalized support for a union would sign new contracts shortly after, undermining any leverage.

Challenges to NFL Player Unity

• 🧩 The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) faces challenges in shifting the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) due to a significant pay gap between top earners and lower-paid players.
• 💰 Players earning minimum salaries are less likely to support a strike or holdout compared to multi-million dollar earners, creating division.
• 🥕 The league uses incentives like signing bonuses to sway players, exploiting the immediate financial needs of those lower on the pay scale.

Fully Guaranteed Contracts and Quarterback Influence

• 🌟 The closest the league came to a major shift was with Kirk Cousins' fully guaranteed contract, which made other players pause and consider similar demands.
• 💰 However, greed and individual gain often override collective action, preventing widespread adoption of fully guaranteed deals.
• 🏈 Quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have secured massive, often partially guaranteed contracts, highlighting the disparity.
• ⚠️ The Deshaun Watson case, where he received a fully guaranteed contract, serves as a cautionary tale for teams, reinforcing their reluctance to offer such deals due to potential performance issues.

The Need for Sacrifice and Change

• 📈 Significant changes in how NFL players are paid would require a generation of players to sacrifice current earnings for future gains.
• 🚫 Jacobs believes that players are unlikely to make such sacrifices, as demonstrated by his own past decision to prioritize immediate security over a potential holdout for a higher guarantee.
• 💔 The current system, with its inherent divisions and lack of collective action, makes it difficult for widespread change to occur.