Money Suddenly Floods NFL’s Running Back Market

For the second time in less than a week, and the third time in less than four months, the compensation market for NFL running backs has been reset, giving a big jolt of new energy to a long-overlooked position.

The Lions agreed to a three-year contract extension with running back Jahmyr Gibbs worth up to $75.75 million that includes $51.5 million in guaranteed money and makes him the NFL’s highest paid player ever at that position. Just two days earlier, that status had been with the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson, who signed a three-year deal worth up to $75 million with $51 million guaranteed. 

The Gibbs and Robinson deals, meanwhile, highlight a larger push toward running backs gaining considerably larger contracts. The Colts’ Jonathan Taylor signed a two-year, $44 million deal on Thursday, with $39 million of that guaranteed, while earlier in the offseason, other stars such as the Chiefs’ Kenneth Walker III and the Dolphins’ De’Von Achane signed lucrative new deals. 

Each of these veteran deals, meanwhile, were influenced in part by Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 pick in April’s NFL Draft, who immediately reset the running back market with a four-year, $53 million contract, with all of that guaranteed. 

While Love still has the most guaranteed money at the position, the average annual value of $22.5 million in the Gibbs deal sets a new standard in that metric. 

As the NFL has shifted to a more passing-centric focus over the past decade, running backs were increasingly left out of the league’s rising fiscal tide. As recently as three years ago, running backs, on average, had fallen to among the lowest paid positions in the entire league.  

That is now quickly changing as many teams are finding ways to use running backs in a wider variety of formations, and are allocating more money to the position. After previously averaging better than only fullbacks and long snappers in annual salary, running backs are now clustered closely with kickers, tight ends, and safeties. 

The top end of the market for running backs, meanwhile, is now moving into an NFL top-100 list traditionally populated by quarterbacks, wide receivers, and top linemen and edge rushers. 

“We felt like Gibbs, man, this guy is going to explode,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the league meetings earlier this year. “Like, yes, he’s a runner. He can run all schemes. He can run inside, outside, pin and pull, the perimeters. But he also can be lethal out of the backfield, and we’re not even there yet. We feel like this guy can play some receiver. We tried to tinker with some stuff last year. He really grew, but I think we’re just scratching the surface on some of that. He’s a mismatch piece, man.”

Rising Economics

The other key element in the new run of historic running back deals, of course, is the NFL’s salary cap, which reached a record $301.2 million for the 2026 season. 

Since training camps opened last month, there have been a run of record-setting contracts signed involving several different positions and more guaranteed money. That trend also continued this week with the Bears’ four-year, $116 million extension with right tackle Darnell Wright.