No contract extension for Taylor.
No trade this season.
So do they run him into the ground? It's been done before.
Mind you. I think RBs are grossly underpaid.
Consider some stat.s from 2022:
CMCs work-load: 244 carries plus 108 targets for 85 catches =- 329 touches. His total yds: 1,139 + 741 = 1,880. His TDs: 8 + 5 = 13
Ekeler's work-load: 204 carries plus 127 targets for 107 catches = 311 touches. His total yds: 905 + 722 - 1,627.His TDs: 13 + 5 = 18
Versus the WRs:
17 WRs had more targets than Ekeler but only 3 WRs had more than his 107 catches.: Jefferson 128, Hill 119 and Diggs 110. Lamb had 107.
No WR had more yds than CMC and only 2 had more yds than Ekeler: Jefferson 1,809 and Hil 1,710. The next best Adams had 1,510.
No WR had as many TDs as Ekeler and only one had more than CMC: Adams 14, Diggs and A J Brown 11 were the next best.
CMC is paid $16m. Ekeler is paid $6.125m
Jefferson is paid $3.28m - still on his rookie contract. Hill $30m; Adams $28m etc etc
In all, there are 19 WRs paid more than CMC and 40 WRs paid more than Ekeler.
Is that just? Are there really 19 WRs more valuable than CMC or 40 WRs more valuable than Ekeler?
The claim is that RBs are inter-changeable, that their success is dependent upon their O-line, upon their blockers.
I beg to differ.
To some extent it is true but the best RBs have that something special: the ability to break tackles, to accelerate through small gaps, etc
A somewhat similar claim could be made about WRs: that their success depends upon their QB.
But everyone recognizes that the best WRs have something special: the ability to run a good route, to get separation, to evade defenders post-catch etc
So why are RBs so poorly paid?