Saquon Barkley was one of the most sought-after free agents during this offseason.
Still, the three-year, $37.75 million contract he received from the Philadelphia Eagles was not enough to make him one of the top three highest-paid running backs in the league.
Just below Barkley on the highest-paid list at the position are some other running backs who got big contracts with new teams: Josh Jacobs (with the Green Bay Packers ), Joe Mixon (with the Houston Texans ), D'Andre Swift (with the Chicago Bears ), Derrick Henry (with the Baltimore Ravens ) and Tony Pollard (with the Tennessee Titans ).
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Who is the highest-paid NFL running back?
The San Francisco 49ers ' Christian McCaffrey signed a four-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers in 2020. His 2022 trade put the onus on the 49ers to absorb the richest deal given to a running back.
2024 NFL RB salary rankings
Here are the running back salary rankings for the 2024 season based on average annual value, according to Over The Cap :
1.Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers : $16 million (4 years, $64.06 million)
2. Alvin Kamara , New Orleans Saints : $15 million (5 years, $75 million)
3. Jonathan Taylor , Indianapolis Colts : $14 million (3 years, $42 million)
4.Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles : $12.6 million (3 years, $37.8 million)
5.Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers : $12 million (4 years, $48 million)
6.Joe Mixon, Houston Texans : $9.9 million (2 years, $19.8 million)
7. Rhamondre Stevenson , New England Patriots : $9 million (4 years, $36 million)
8 (tie).D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears : $8 million (3 years, $24 million)
8 (tie).Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens : $8 million (2 years, $16 million)
10.Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans : $7.3 million (3 years, $21.8 million)
11 (tie). James Conner , Arizona Cardinals : $7 million (3 years, $21 million)
11 (tie). Aaron Jones , Minnesota Vikings : $7 million (1 year, $7 million)
13. Miles Sanders , Carolina Panthers: $6.4 million (4 years, $25.4 million)
14. Devin Singletary , New York Giants : $5.5 million (3 years, $16.5 million)
15. Bijan Robinson , Atlanta Falcons : $5.5 million (4 years, $21.9 million)
16. Kyle Juszczyk (FB), San Francisco 49ers: $4.6 million (2 years, $9.1 million)
17. Jahmyr Gibbs , Detroit Lions : $4.5 million (4 years, $17.8 million)
18. Austin Ekeler , Washington Commanders : $4.2 million (2 years, $8.4 million)
19. Raheem Mostert , Miami Dolphins : $4.13 million (1 year, $4.1 million)
20. Alec Ingold (FB), Miami Dolphins: $4.07 million (3 years, $12.2 million)
21 (tie). Jamaal Williams , New Orleans Saints: $4 million (3 years, $12 million)
21 (tie). Zack Moss , Cincinnati Bengals : $4 million (2 years, $8 million)
23 (tie). Patrick Ricard (FB), Baltimore Ravens: $3.8 million (3 years, $11.3 million)
23 (tie). Antonio Gibson , New England Patriots: $3.8 million (3 years, $11.3 million)
25. Najee Harris , Pittsburgh Steelers : $3.3 million (4 years, $13 million)
26. Gus Edwards , Los Angeles Chargers : $3.3 million (2 years, $6.5 million)
27. Travis Etienne , Jacksonville Jaguars : $3.2 million (4 years, $12.9 million)
28 (tie). Deejay Dallas , Arizona Cardinals: $2.8 million (3 years, $8.3 million)
28 (tie). C.J. Ham (FB), Minnesota Vikings: $2.8 million (2 years, $5.6 million)
30.A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers: $2.7 million (1 year, $2.7 million)
31. Reggie Gilliam (FB), Buffalo Bills : $2.3 million (2 years, $4.6 million)
32. Nick Chubb , Cleveland Browns : $2.28 million (1 year, $2.28 million)
33. Justice Hill , Baltimore Ravens: $2.26 million (2 years, $4.5 million)
34. Breece Hall , New York Jets : $2.25 million (4 years, $9 million)
Here's the highest-paid list for all the positions
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Highest paid NFL running backs: Top-paid RBs in 2024 salary rankings
