LeSean McCoygot a five-year extension worth $45 million, with $20.765 million in guarantees on Thursday. Texans running back Arian Foster recently got a $41 million extension over four years, with $20.75 million guaranteed.
ATL: Eagles win in McCoy deal
LeSean McCoy's $45 million contract is a great deal for him, but it's really Philadelphia who wins in the end. Marc Sessler writes **More ...**
That should help set the price for Ray Rice and Matt Forte's upcoming contract negotiations. It may even give Maurice Jones-Drew's agent something to chew on while they look for more money in Jacksonville.
So will Forte and Rice get as much from their respective teams?
Rice's negotiation should be easier. The Ravens do a good job of taking care of their star players and Rice is a core piece. McCoy is a more explosive back than Rice, but Rice's body of work over the last three seasons -- averaging nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage -- is tough to beat. It could take some time, but we expect to see Rice in training camp. He will probably get similar money to Foster and McCoy.
Forte is far trickier. The Bears don't seem willing to pay him premier dollars. They could argue that Forte is not as "special" a back as McCoy or Foster, and they would have a point. Forte is among the most complete backs in the league, but teams pay for gamebreakers. McCoy and Foster also signed extensions with time left on their rookie deal. Forte was given the franchise tag. The Bears seem willing to go year-to-year with Forte. He's due $7.7 million this year, which is more than he made in his first four years combined. We expect a lengthy holdout and Forte to play under the terms of the tag.
We often hear that you don't need to pay for running backs, but it's clear that the elite backs still do very well. The question is whether the Bears see Forte as an elite back.
