Worst NFL offseason move for each of the 32 teams
By Randy Gurzi
Green Bay Packers: Paying a running back
Teams continue to do it and it continues to fail. The Los Angeles Rams and Todd Gurley agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal with $45 million guaranteed in 2018. That same season, he missed time in the playoffs, and later there was a rumor he had arthritis in the knee. By 2020, he was on a new team and is still looking for his 2021 home.
That same year, David Johnson received a three-year, $39 million extension with $30 million guaranteed with the Arizona Cardinals. By 2020, he too was on a new team as the Cards traded him to the Houston Texans where he continued to struggle.
Devonta Freeman was another running back to drop off a cliff after being paid as he inked a five-year $41.25 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. He lasted three years but that included a 2018 campaign where he missed 14 games and had just 14 yards total and a 2019 campaign where he averaged 3.6 yards per carry.
There was also Ezekiel Elliott getting paid in 2019 by the Dallas Cowboys only to see his production decline. There are just a few recent examples and we could look back to players such as Shaun Alexander, DeMarco Murray, and more who just fell apart after signing big contracts.
None of this is their fault, it’s just the fact that running backs don’t have long shelf lives in the NFL and they were down quickly.
Despite this fact, teams continue to pay running backs and they all think their guy is the one who is different. That’s the case with the Green Bay Packers who just gave Aaron Jones a four-year deal worth $48 million.
Their decision to pay Jones is even more confusing since they drafted A.J. Dillon in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, which gave them a young player capable of replacing Jones. Chances are the veteran running back will be fine this season, but the odds are not in his favor for that to continue for long.