The Falcons went against the grain in two ways by signing Devonta Freeman to a contract extension that includes $ 22 million in guaranteed money.
They paid a running back big money, which doesn’t happen often anymore in a league that values the position less. And the Falcons paid a running back big money while using the outside-zone running scheme, bucking the idea that the position largely is interchangeable in that system.
It's difficult to compare NFL salaries because much of it the money is not guaranteed. As AJC Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter explains , Freeman's deal essentially is a three-year extension for $26 million. But Freeman's $22 million guarantees is more than any other NFL running back and the $8.25 million average also is tops in the league.
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Freeman's deal comes at a time when the market has gone against running backs. According to Spotrac salary data, the average salary for NFL running backs is $1.24 million dollars. Only fullbacks ($839.876) and long snappers ($795,279) average less. (And that's not because running back money is being spread across more players: the total number of backs is 208, fewer than every position except tight ends (191), quarterbacks (122) and fullback (39).)
That's the league-wide trend with running backs. Specific to the Falcons is their use of the outside-zone run game , which was popularized by Broncos assistant Alex Gibbs and head coach Mike Shanahan in the 1990s. During that era the Broncos had three different star running backs, two with modest football pedigrees, creating the perception that the system (and the linemen) matters more than the back.
From 1995 to ’98, Terrell Davis (recently selected for the Hall of Fame) rushed for 6,413 yards and helped the Broncos win two Super Bowls. The next season Olandis Gary supplanted Davis as the featured back and rushed for 1,159 yards over 12 games as the Broncos finished 6-10. In 2000, Mike Anderson rushed for 1,487 yards and the Broncos were back in the playoffs. In 2002 Clinton Portis took over as Denver’s main back and ran for a total of 3,099 yards in ’02 and ‘03.
Davis was a sixth-round draft pick. Gary was a fourth-rounder. Portis was the 51st overall pick, the fourth running back selected in his draft.
Freeman, a fourth-round draft pick in 2014, also has a modest football pedigree. The Falcons could have allowed Freeman to play out the final year of his rookie deal. They already have his potential replacement on the roster, Tevin Coleman, a third-round pick in 2015.
The Falcons obviously had factors other than financial to consider. Freeman made rumbles about his contract during Super Bowl week. By giving him a big extension, the Falcons signaled that they will compensate players who out-play their rookie deals.
So the Falcons went against the tide. They paid big money to a running back in a league that has devalued the position, and a running back who has thrived in a system that’s demonstrated that running backs may not matter so much.
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