Highest Paid Running Backs in the league... Guess who is #1

[Greatman77]

Why wouldn't the best running back in the league be the highest paid? Especially once his rookie contract is over.

[kungfoodude]

He absolutely deserves the money. He's one of the best players in the league. 

As a running back, he also has one of the lowest impacts on winning or losing of just about any other elite position. If you look at some of the attempts to make a football equivalent of baseball's WAR, you will see that RB is one of the least valuable positions in football. It isn't like we don't know this, CMC has been steady in his performances across the past two years in which we have had subpar QB play. Unsurprisingly, he was unable to carry us to many victories. 

So, we are lucky enough to have the money to spend on an elite talent like him but you will likely see a lot of hate and discontent if in 4-5 years we are paying a bloated contract that keeps us from being able to improve the team around him. The recent history of league best paid RB's doesn't include much overall success from a team standpoint. 

 

TLDR. He's great. We for sure shouldn't have done that.

[Khyber53]

I think it's not only deserved, but it is smart, too. 

CMC is probably the least risky person on that contract for a number of reasons:

1) He doesn't strike me as the "let's renegotiate every two years or I hold out" kind of guy.

2) He doesn't seem like the "trade me now" kind of guy.

3) He seems completely dedicated to raising his own bar every season rather than getting fat and complacent off of the big check.

4) If he does get banged up and just can't take the punishment as a RB anymore, but can still move, you make him a slot receiver and he is still a bargain based on what top receivers make. Best RB in the league and had more receptions and yards than the #1 receiver on probably 10 of the teams in the league.

5) The kid could probably play QB in a pinch.

6) He's a smart, smart fellow, smart enough to take care of himself and play out that contract.

7) He is a carry the team on his back kind of guy and all winning teams need that.

[kungfoodude]

4 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

I think it's not only deserved, but it is smart, too. 

CMC is probably the least risky person on that contract for a number of reasons:

1) He doesn't strike me as the "let's renegotiate every two years or I hold out" kind of guy.

2) He doesn't seem like the "trade me now" kind of guy.

3) He seems completely dedicated to raising his own bar every season rather than getting fat and complacent off of the big check.

4) If he does get banged up and just can't take the punishment as a RB anymore, but can still move, you make him a slot receiver and he is still a bargain based on what top receivers make. Best RB in the league and had more receptions and yards than the #1 receiver on probably 10 of the teams in the league.

5) The kid could probably play QB in a pinch.

6) He's a smart, smart fellow, smart enough to take care of himself and play out that contract.

7) He is a carry the team on his back kind of guy and all winning teams need that.

1) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

2) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

3) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

4) That is not a real thing. That has never happened to an elite passing catching RB in NFL history(to my knowledge). 

5) Funny, but he isn't a $16 mil QB either.

6) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

7) He certainly is but it has very rarely led to victories. See the last two seasons. It has nothing to do with him as a player and everything to do with the way NFL team's are structured in the modern era. RB's are just plain devalued.

 

Don't take this as much hating on the guy. He's amazing(planning to buy his jersey soon). I also would have never signed him to that contract and would have been fine had he made that money elsewhere.

[raz]

he's the perfect dude to have on your team.  perfect.  he deserves every penny.  should we have paid him that money?  no we shouldn't have.  it was a mistake. same kinda mistake marty has been making for years.  

[Brooklyn 3.0]

You pay elite talent. CMC is elite.

[onmyown]

I see this as a non issue. The Panther’s problem is paying players that don’t actually perform. I can’t possible see this holding the panthers up after the hundreds of millions they’ve spent on god awful contracts for the past decade. Now people want to complain about paying cmc? Lol

[rippadonn]

51 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

He absolutely deserves the money. He's one of the best players in the league. 

As a running back, he also has one of the lowest impacts on winning or losing of just about any other elite position. If you look at some of the attempts to make a football equivalent of baseball's WAR, you will see that RB is one of the least valuable positions in football. It isn't like we don't know this, CMC has been steady in his performances across the past two years in which we have had subpar QB play. Unsurprisingly, he was unable to carry us to many victories. 

So, we are lucky enough to have the money to spend on an elite talent like him but you will likely see a lot of hate and discontent if in 4-5 years we are paying a bloated contract that keeps us from being able to improve the team around him. The recent history of league best paid RB's doesn't include much overall success from a team standpoint. 

 

TLDR. He's great. We for sure shouldn't have done that.

Very good points. They forced him into the role of #1 Panther on purpose. He answered the call.

We all know that QB, DE are your highest paid for a reason. They change games with the ball in their hands or making sure the ball is out of the other QBs hands.

[shaqattaq]

3 hours ago, hepcat said:

There’s another Panthers running back on that list I would argue is more overpaid than the guy who just put up a 1000/1000 season....

It is odd to have two RBs on the list considering all that I've heard about Brady's offense being pass heavy. Of course CMC is another receiver. Not sure about Davis' hands.

[rippadonn]

CMC negates Curtis Samuel (touches)if you're running him as a nontraditional RB.

On this here site BEFORE that draft I was lobbying for the Panthers to pick up Fournette/McCaffrey as a 1-2 punch. They both went too high for that though but we had our chance and ....Tampa

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

1) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

2) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

3) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

4) That is not a real thing. That has never happened to an elite passing catching RB in NFL history(to my knowledge). 

5) Funny, but he isn't a $16 mil QB either.

6) Valid but not a reason to make him the highest paid player at his position.

7) He certainly is but it has very rarely led to victories. See the last two seasons. It has nothing to do with him as a player and everything to do with the way NFL team's are structured in the modern era. RB's are just plain devalued.

 

Don't take this as much hating on the guy. He's amazing(planning to buy his jersey soon). I also would have never signed him to that contract and would have been fine had he made that money elsewhere.

it's been said that Marty loves being able to say one of our guys is the highest paid at his position.

Not that big a fan of it myself.

McCaffrey? He's been elite so far. Here's hoping he stays that way.

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

it's been said that Marty loves being able to say one of our guys is the highest paid at his position.

Not that big a fan of it myself.

McCaffrey? He's been elite so far. Here's hoping he stays that way.

Especially at RB. If CMC was a QB, LT, DE, or even WR or CB that was the best in the NFL? Pay the man. Running back? Woof. 

[Mr. Scot]

3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Especially at RB. If CMC was a QB, LT, DE, or even WR or CB that was the best in the NFL? Pay the man. Running back? Woof. 

To be fair, calling McCaffrey "just a runningback" is kind of like saying that Julius Peppers was "just a defensive end".

It's like back when the Browns had Eric Metcalf at his peak. He was way more than what his official position would have told you.

[Happy Panther]

We can design a whole offense around CMC. And other teams know it. And there is nothing they can do about it. Future hall of famer who deserves every penny...