NASHVILLE — Derrick Henry is back in the gym, eager to prove that 30 is just a number — and one that shouldn’t affect the four-time Pro Bowl selection’s value on the NFL’s open market.
The same player who organized a group chat among the league’s top running backs last summer is about to find out exactly what teams are willing to pay for proven experience at that position. Henry turned 30 years old on Jan. 4, days before what might have been his final game with the Tennessee Titans, who selected the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout with a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
And Henry, a two-time NFL rushing champion, has company with fellow stars such as Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard — the three running backs hit with franchise tags in 2023 — also hitting free agency. Barkley didn’t sign his tag and wound up playing last season for $10.1 million for the New York Giants, who drafted him second overall in 2018. The other were 2019 draft picks who have remained with the teams that selected them so far, but Jacobs’ time with the Las Vegas Raiders and Pollard’s days with the Dallas Cowboys are over unless they wind up re-signing with those teams after exploring free agency.
So will these running backs find big contracts when the market officially opens next week?
Or will they have to be patient and choosy or simply have to settle for less?