Freakonomics Radio Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore? (Update)
Feb 4, 2026
Jeffery Whitney, longtime NFL agent who navigated contract markets. Brian Burke, sports data scientist who pioneered expected-points analysis. Roland Fryer, Harvard economist applying data to player valuation. They unpack rule and CBA changes, analytics favoring passing, career shortness and perishability, agency shifts away from backs, and whether a running back renaissance is possible.
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Running Back Pay Has Plummeted
- Running backs once ranked second in average pay by position but now rank 15th, reflecting a dramatic relative decline.
- Teams now value passing far more, shifting pay and prominence away from running backs.
LeSean McCoy On Unfair Valuation
- LeSean McCoy recounts growing up playing football and why running back skills combine instincts and study.
- He argues running backs get treated unfairly compared to quarterbacks despite often being clear difference-makers.
Analytics Favored Passing Over Running
- Brian Burke's expected-points model showed passing yields higher payoff per play than running.
- That analytics finding pushed teams to pass more and devalued running backs.
