If you like contract-year players, it’s a good year to be picking running backs. There are a bunch of them entering the final years of their contracts.
I see 16 of some regard, and I’ve got them listed below. This includes two guys who have signed one-year tags – Derrick Henry (franchise) and Kenyan Drake (transition).
Some of these guys will sign extensions before the season begins. Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara and Henry in particular. They’ve done enough where they probably feel like they deserve an extension. With each of those players, I would think that if they don’t get an extension, they might be a little miffed – feeling like the team isn’t treating them fairly. (So with them, maybe the “contract year” deal is a negative rather than a motivator.)
James Conner, Aaron Jones and Chris Carson have all had some productive games, but all have had durability issues. I would guess their teams would be nervous about signing them to big deals.
Safe to say that come next spring, there will be some capable runners on the market as unrestricted free agents. (Of course, we’ve got one sitting out there right now, with Devonta Freeman looking for a team willing to sign him to more than a modest deal.)
| FREE AGENTS IN 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Team | Player |
| Ariz. | Kenyan Drake (tag) |
| Atl. | Todd Gurley |
| Chi. | Tarik Cohen |
| Cin. | Joe Mixon |
| Clev. | Kareem Hunt |
| G.B. | Aaron Jones |
| Ind. | Marlon Mack |
| Jac. | Leonard Fournette |
| K.C. | Damien Williams |
| Mia. | Matt Breida |
| Min. | Dalvin Cook |
| N.O. | Alvin Kamara |
| Pitt. | James Conner |
| S.F. | Tevin Coleman |
| Sea. | Chris Carson |
| Ten. | Derrick Henry (tag) |
—Ian Allan