This offseason has seen a number of high-profile running backs unable to get the big-time contracts that they were hoping for. And former Pro Bowler Melvin Gordon had a brutally honest message for the fellow players at his position.
Gordon, a member of the Baltimore Ravens, spoke about the state of the position on Tuesday, saying that he believes that running backs are “kind of screwed” for the foreseeable future.
“We’re kind of screwed, I feel like, for the next couple years,” Gordon told ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on Tuesday. “So, the only thing we could do is just kind of stack it and just ball out.
“At the end of the day, the talking and this and that is not going to get anything done,” Gordon added. “I think we just have to shine in the brightest moments when we get to the playoffs. The backs that are on that team got to take initiative to be like ‘you know what, I’m going to take over.’ The league is changing, and it sucks to say it’s a passing league. But you still need a great run game. Let’s not get away from that.”
Gordon is far from the only running back to speak out about running back pay, as the likes of Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey have also advocated for their position receiving a fair market value.
Unfortunately for Gordon and other running backs, things appear unlikely to change as long as the current collective bargaining agreement is in place, which will be the case until it expires in 2030.
[ESPN]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.