They used to be highly paid stars. Why do they now make so much less than quarterbacks?
Running backs have apparently fallen from football’s graces. The Carolina Panthers were the first team to select one in the 2024 National Football League Draft—at the 46th pick. The only time fans have waited longer for the position to be called was in 2014, when the Tennessee Titans chose one at the 54th pick. Yet the delay seems to be the new normal. In two of the past three years, a running back hasn’t been selected in the first round. Before that, at least one was chosen in the first round in 38 of the previous 40 years.
Once superstars of the sport, running backs now have shorter careers, reduced salaries and lower draft priorities. According to one analysis in 2023, pay for running backs and fullbacks since 2011 has increased only 11%. For every other offensive position, total pay has increased at least 90%.
Continue reading the entire piece here at the Wall Street Journal (paywall)
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Roland G. Fryer, Jr., a John A. Paulson Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is professor of economics at Harvard University and founder of Equal Opportunity Ventures.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
