The typical response when a player tweets a statement out of context is to use common sense to interpret what they mean.
Hence, the first response when free-agent running back Jerick McKinnon states on the social media site that recently replaced the bird outline with the Dogecoin logo is to link it to the fact that he still has no NFL team nearly four weeks into free agency.
There is nothing personal towards McKinnon, who has been a crucial component of Kansas City’s larger offensive jigsaw throughout the 2021 and 2022 seasons, regarding the absence of an appropriate contract offer. It represents the larger market for seasoned running backs.
With 315 yards from scrimmage in three playoff games, McKinnon’s comeback began in 2021. McKinnon has 10 total touchdowns and 803 yards from scrimmage in the regular season last year. His nine receiving touchdowns in 2022 broke the three-way tie of eight held by Marshall Faulk (2001), Chuck Foreman (1975), and Leroy Hoard, setting a single-season record for running backs (1991).
It certainly doesn’t mean much to clubs seeking for running backs in a time when the supply of young, affordable, and healthy options enters the league each April and significantly surpasses the need. Because of this, Austin Ekeler is unable to convince the Chargers to give him more than $6.25 million annually. Also, it explains why no other team was eager to acquire him in a trade and offer him the deal he desired.
And that’s the reason McKinnon and other people are still accessible to everybody and everyone.
While McKinnon’s present annoyances are reasonable (if that was the cause of his tweet), he is one of the few athletes who defy the growing trend away from paying running backs a lot of money in recent years. McKinnon signed a four-year, $30 million contract with the 49ers when his rookie deal with the Vikings expired, with $11.75 million of the total fully guaranteed at the time of signing.
Just prior to the start of his first season in San Francisco, McKinnon tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which caused him to miss two consecutive seasons. With 572 yards from scrimmage, he finally appeared in 16 regular-season games for the 49ers in 2020.
In 2021, the Chiefs made a move, giving McKinnon a chance to demonstrate that he is still capable of playing at a top level. He’ll probably continue to wait, along with players like Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt, J.D. McKissic, Mark Ingram, and others, as his 31st birthday approaches and the injury history that ended his career just as it was about to begin its peak.
The disrespect is crazy
— Jerick Mckinnon (@JetMckinnon1) April 7, 2023
