The 2024 NFL season showed that running backs are still valued around the league. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs were among the first players off the board in free agency and helped their new teams reach the postseason.
With running teams finding success both in the regular season and in the playoffs, we can expect top ball-carriers to again be coveted in free agency. We just might not see backs land deals north of $12 million annually—as both Barkley and Jacobs did last offseason—because this year's free-agent class isn't as impressive.
Some starting-caliber running backs will be available, however, and several of them are likely to find new homes at some point after free agency begins on March 12.