Steelers GM Omar Khan: As QB salaries grow faster than the cap, RB salaries decline
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan says the running back pay debate in the NFL isn't complicated: In a league with a salary cap, every dollar spent on one player is a dollar that can't be spent on another player. And NFL teams recognize that spending on quarterbacks does more to help a team win than spending on running backs.
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure it out, but when quarterbacks’ salaries start increasing at the rate that they’re increasing, at some point, it’s going to have a residual effect somewhere on the roster,” Khan said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Khan said pay for quarterbacks has grown faster than the salary cap, which means teams have to find another position to spend less on. And running backs are the choice.
“Every franchise is going to handle things differently. It’s up to every franchise to decide how to build their roster, but eventually, that’s going to have an effect when the quarterback salaries are growing at a rate higher than what the cap is. I get it. There are ways to get around whatever the cap number is, but it’s just going to be a natural effect,” Khan said.
The Steelers spent a first-round pick on running back Najee Harris in 2021, and a first-round pick on quarterback Kenny Pickett in 2022. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that if both players play at the level Pittsburgh is hoping for, the Steelers will view extending Pickett as a much higher priority than extending Harris.
