This week just dropped some serious cash in the NFL, especially for running backs. We’re talking massive new contracts hitting the wire, and it’s got everyone buzzing about what that means for future extensions. Early Thursday morning, the Colts and Jonathan Taylor agreed to a new two-year, $44 million extension, which is big money. But that deal came right after the Falcons and Bijan Robinson totally reset the market, coming to terms on a massive three-year, $75 million extension that officially made him the highest-paid player at the position in NFL history.
The Bijan Robinson Blueprint And Hampton’s Rookie Flash
These aren’t just random deals, they’re setting the stage for guys like Omarion Hampton. His rookie season, despite some injuries, was super promising, and his future looks bright. That feeling only got amplified with Mike McDaniel joining as offensive coordinator. When you look at his rookie year, Hampton’s efficiency was incredibly similar to Robinson’s. Robinson averaged 86 yards of total offense and scored .47 touchdowns per game in his first year. Hampton was right there, hitting 82 yards of offense and .55 touchdowns. We saw Robinson explode in his second season for 1,887 yards of total offense and 15 touchdowns, which was the springboard he needed to become an elite NFL back. Then, in year three, he somehow took it to another level with 2,298 yards of offense, even with a slight dip to 11 total scores.
The Chargers Are Facing A Monster Payday
Now, no one’s saying Hampton will exactly mirror Robinson’s insane leap, but it’s not a crazy prediction either, especially given the new circumstances. Think about it: his full 17-game pace under Greg Roman and that truly abysmal offensive line was still 1,394 yards of offense and nine touchdowns. Now, imagine a full year with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt locking down the tackle spots, plus a whole new system under McDaniel. Is 1,600+ yards of total offense and 12+ touchdowns really out of the question? Absolutely not. If Hampton follows the path every Chargers fan is dreaming of over the next two seasons, the team will be forced into a situation where they might have to make a massive extension work for him. This comes while they’re also navigating a potential extension for Alt and handling the expensive latter years on the contracts for Justin Herbert and Slater. It’s awesome to see running backs getting paid what they deserve, but for the Chargers, it means some serious financial tightroping ahead as they try to build around Herbert.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bolts from the Blue.
Leave a Reply