DENVER — For all the running back dismay this week after three franchise-tagged ball carriers failed to receive contract extensions, they should all understand no player at the position has ever more significantly outperformed his contract than Phillip Lindsay did in his early years with the Broncos.
"I appreciate that," Lindsay, the former Bronco who is still an active NFL running back, said Wednesday in an interview with 9NEWS. "I was thinking I was the only one that thought that."
Running backs across the league stated their displeasure – either through their social media platforms or private text chains – this week when the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, the Giants’ Saquan Barkley and the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard were all left with one-year, $10.09 million salaries for the 2023 season. Their desires were believed to be for multi-year fully guaranteed contracts closer to the $15 million-a-year neighborhood.
Thus, a conspiracy uproar that NFL executives devalue running backs more than any other position, dollar per yard, dollar per workload.
"It definitely makes you mad," Lindsay said. "I’m going to hold most of my thoughts in just because you don’t want to say something that they’re going to try and use against you. Because I would love to get at least two more years out of this. My goal was 7 years. If I can get to that then I can’t ask for anything else.
"But it is unfortunate what’s going on with us. They act like a running back is a dime a dozen. That’s a slap in my face for what I did as an undrafted player. You’re pretty much saying anybody can do what I did. Or anybody can do what Saquan is doing."
Much has been made this week that the average salary for NFL kickers is $2.196 million while a running back averages $1.78 million. Granted there are only 32 NFL kickers, one per team, while there are more than 100 active running backs, including third- and fourth-stringers who bring down the salary averages.
Still, a player like Lindsay, who is staying in shape as a free agent by working out with his former Broncos’ trainer Loren Landow, has reason to question the reasoning behind a relatively depressed running back market.
The NFL wage system is one reason. Undrafted out of Colorado, Lindsay rushed for 1,037 yards and 9 touchdowns while making the $480,000 rookie minimum salary, plus a $15,000 signing bonus, for the Broncos in 2018. He then added 1,011 yards and 7 touchdowns while making the one-year minimum $570,000 for Denver in 2019.
It was quite a feat. Lindsay became the first undrafted player to begin his career with back-to-back, 1,000-yard seasons. After the 2019 season, his representative Mike McCartney, who is one of the NFL’s most successful agents, and the Broncos began negotiations on a reworked deal. General manager John Elway even said at the Broncos’ 2019 season-ending press conference that he would look at extending Lindsay.
But by March, the team decided instead to sign free-agent running back Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16 million contract. Lindsay was left to play a third season on another minimum salary, this time at $750,000.
"I thought we were going to get a contract extension and then I get a call at 3 or 4 in the morning and was told we’re going to sign Melvin to a bigger deal than we were going to give you," Lindsay said.
Sharing the workload with Gordon, Lindsay suffered a toe injury in the COVID season opener in 2020 but returned to record three consecutive excellent games against the Patriots, Chiefs and Chargers, combining for 263 yards on 38 carries – 87.7 yards per game and 6.9 yards a carry.
But then came the game against the New Orleans Saints when the NFL shockingly ruled all four Broncos’ quarterbacks couldn’t play because of COVID protocol violations. It’s not accurate, as the story is often told, that rookie practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton became the Broncos’ emergency starting quarterback against the Saints. Lindsay was officially the starting quarterback as he was asked to run out of the Wildcat formation. Saints’ coach Sean Payton easily defended against the strategy by using 8-man boxes.
Hinton wound up sending his play-sheet wrist band to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Lindsay was left with a sprained MCL that he tried to play through the rest of the season.
After his third season, Lindsay realized he was getting phased out. He asked for, and received, his release. Back to back 1,000-yard seasons and then, poof, he was gone.
"One of those things where it was a surreal moment, dream come true and all the sudden it turned on a dime," Lindsay said.
He did get a nice one-year, $3.25 million pay day from Houston. But unconditional opportunities aren’t always there for NFL transfers and Lindsay has since bounced to Miami, Indianapolis and the XFL Seattle Sea Dragons. Living in his hometown Denver area with his wife Morgan and son, Phillip Theo, Lindsay says he isn’t finished as a player.
"I’m working out, feeling really healthy," Lindsay said. "I know my place, I know my role. I’m not looking to be a starter, I’m not looking to take somebody’s place. But I know it’s important to have veterans on a team. As an adult, as a dad, as a professional, I can help teach these kids the ropes of how to go about a professional job. A veteran presence does matter. It’s not about them carrying the load, it’s about their presence and knowing what to do and when to do it and talking to these kids. You take us out of it? It’s college football again."
The Broncos could possibly use some running back insurance as lead rusher Javonte Williams returns from last season’s ACL surgery. But Lindsay’s popularity in Denver and Colorado could work against him. To wit: Every time a run is stuffed, Denver fans may chant: Put in Lindsay!
Which isn’t the worst idea, last time the locals saw him carry the ball on a regular basis.
"Teams are checking in but it’s hard right now because you have Ezekiel (Elliott) out there, you have Kareem Hunt, you have Leonard Fournette, you’ve got Dalvin (Cook)," Lindsay said. "So teams are taking their time seeing what they’ve got in their young kids knowing there are good backs out there. I’m OK being a change-of-pace back and just have some fun playing football."
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