The Facts: There is an additional pressure on Le'Veon Bell as he approaches the negotiating table with exactly one week left to sign a long-term deal before playing the season under the franchise tag: A handful of other running backs are watching and counting on him to break the bank. "I hope he gets the deal he deserves," Johnson told the MMQB. "I hope it's going to be the type of deal that cornerbacks get and quarterbacks get."
Diehards Line:
This is not a surprise. After all, Johnson, like Bell, he has elevated himself into a class above standard running backs. Last season, Johnson was just 121 yards away from 1,000 receiving yards in addition to his 1,239 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Bell has twice topped 600 receiving yards over the last four seasons, posting a similar season to Johnson's 2016 in 2014 with 1,361 yards rushing and 854 yards receiving. The new age of hybrid running back deserves a salary structure which takes into consideration all of their additional responsibilities, but as the MMQB correctly pointed out, they do not come up for a second deal until they are roughly 27, an age that typically signifies the beginning of the down arc in a running back's career. It'll be interesting to see if talents like Bell and Johnson can change that.