Running backs staged a revolt last season to highlight what they thought was the National Football Leagues' neglect of players of their position in terms of pay.
Tennessee Titans' Derrick Henry was among those who were vocal about fair compensation for league running backs.
He even started a group chat among the league's top RBs, demanding increased pay given their heavy use in the league. Henry believes running backs touch the ball as much as quarterbacks, the position that gets the most compensation.
"At this point, just take the RB position out the game then," he said back in the summer of the 2023 season in response to a tweet about how RBs are caught in a cycle.
"The ones that want to be great & work as hard as they can to give their all to an organization, just seems like it don't even matter. I'm with every RB that's fighting to get what they deserve."
Fast forward to 2024; it's the same anthem for Henry and many RBs.
Read more: Where Will Cowboys RB Tony Pollard Land in NFL Free Agency?
He, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, and Tony Pollard are ready to impose what they deserve this summer and during the free agency period.
"It's tough right now," Henry said during the training camp. "Just want to do anything possible to help show our value, do it on the field but definitely try to be together as a movement to improve the situation."
What are Derrick Henry's contract demands?
Henry played out the last year of his previous four-year, $50 million contract he signed in 2020.
He believes he still has what it takes to play at the top level despite being 30 years old already.
"I want to bring a Super Bowl here really bad," Henry said last season.
"I'm in Year 8 now, so the Super Bowl is definitely my next goal. I'm not getting younger. I want a ring, so, wherever that comes and whoever can help get close to that, that's what we're going to do."
According to Spotrac, his market value is $10 million annually after comparing his statistical production and age to that of other running backs.
His camp expects to get around $10 million, which is $2 million lower than his 2023 salary.
Projected Derrick Henry contract
While Henry has the right to demand a salary that will continue to make him among the highest-paid RBs in the league this 2024, The Athletic writer and senior NFL insider Dianna Russini predicts he would not get that.
This is because he has dropped to the second tier of the best NFL free-agent running backs, mainly due to his age.
Las Vegas Raiders' Josh Jacobs and New York Giants' Barkley are in the top tier.
Again, this tier system falls on the current system, where RBs become instantly dispensable.
There is a custom where teams refuse to pay RBs beyond their rookie year deals.
ESPN's Matt Miller perfectly painted what it is like to be a running back in the NFL.
Been saying it for years:
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) July 17, 2023
1. Draft a RB
2. Play the RB
…if he's good…
3. Franchise tag the RB ONE TIME
…and then…
1. Draft a RB…
There's no assurance that the league's RBs will get what they want right now. The NFL is turning into a pass-first game, and teams will continue to embrace that in the years to come.
Henry, the Titans' record holder for most touchdowns scored (81) and rushing TDs (78), will remain a desirable player. He might even find himself on a team ready to contend, which is what he wants the most right now.
Related article: Derrick Henry Could Put These Teams Over the Top
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