Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson Considered Most Overpaid Player at His Position
Big changes were made over at Foxborough in the offseason. The New England Patriots fired first-year head coach Jerod Mayo and replaced him with former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. On top of that, no team spent more than the Patriots in free agency in an attempt to improve upon their 4-13 record in 2024.
Advertisement
Per Spotrac, the Patriots spent $360 million in total contract value in free agency, $95 million more than the next closest team. Like all contracts in the NFL, some of those handed out will hit and prove to be successful, while others will likely not live up to their production. Something the Patriots know a little about in recent memory.
According to Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport, one particular Patriots player should be considered the most overpaid player at his position. In an article titled 'The NFL's Most Overpaid Player at Every Position', Davenport lists off players who have been given big-money contracts but haven't lived up to those expectations before arriving at Patriots' running back Rhamondre Stevenson, naming him the most overpaid player at the position.
'It's not easy to make big bucks in the backfield in today's NFL. There are only seven running backs in the league with an average annual salary of $10 million or more—and those backs all have resumes with multiple seasons of high-end production.' Davenport writes.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) hands off the ball to running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38).David Butler II-Imagn Images
Stevenson earned a four-year, $36 million extension a year ago after rushing for 2265 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first three seasons in the NFL, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. However, Davenport isn't impressed.
Advertisement
'Yes, the 27-year-old topped 1,000 yards on the ground for the Patriots in 2022, carrying the ball 210 times for 1,040 yards and five scores,' He added. 'But in 2023 (before getting his payday), he missed five games and saw his yards per carry drop by a full yard.'
The concerns are fair. Stevenson averaged 5.0 yards per carry in 2022 but dropped down to 4.0 yards per carry in 2023, as well as missing five games due to injury. In 2024, Stevenson lost his starting job because of fumbling issues.
'Things got that much worse for the Oklahoma product last year. He missed time again. He averaged just 3.9 yards per carry. His 431 yards after contact ranked outside the top 20 at the position. He also fumbled seven times, the most of any NFL running back.'
The Patriots drafted Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and if Stevenson continues to struggle, he could find his role reduced even further.
Related: Mega Trade Idea Lands Patriots Superstar Edge Rusher
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jets to have officials at camp to reduce penalties, says coach Aaron Glenn
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets hope seeing more black-and-white stripes in training camp will result in fewer yellow flags during the season. Coach Aaron Glenn said Friday the team will often have officials at practice through the summer after the Jets, under the previous regime of coach Robert Saleh, led the NFL in penalties the last two seasons. New York rarely used officials during training camp practices during those summers. Many NFL teams hire officials for at least some of their camp practices, giving players the opportunity to get used to how plays are called in a non-game environment. 'I want the officials here as much as possible and they know that,' Glenn said. "It's no secret that we were the most-penalized team in the league last year, so that's one of the things that I want to nip in the bud early — making sure that the discipline part of what we do, that we fix that now. 'You cannot win games in this league with an undisciplined team, so all the penalties that we had last year, we're knocking those things out.' Last season, the Jets were penalized 137 times, five more than Tennessee and Baltimore, and finished 5-12 — with Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both fired in the middle of the season. In 2023, New York was called for 124 penalties, nine more than Cleveland and Dallas, and went 7-10. 'The officials are going to be here and we're going to knock that out, all right,' Glenn said. 'I will tell you this: We are going to knock these penalties out. We're going to understand that undisciplined teams do not win games.' Philadelphia, last year's Super Bowl champion, ranked 11th in the NFL with 103 penalties. Kansas City, the AFC champion, was fourth with 94. The Los Angeles Rams, who won the NFC West, had the fewest penalties in the league with 91. Glenn said there are two types of calls on players during games: pre-snap penalties — 'the dumb penalties' — and competitive penalties, including pass interference. 'The competitive penalties, listen, you go back and forth with those, right?' Glenn said. 'Like P.I., guys are fighting. Those are competitive penalties. Holds, those are competitive. Now, false starts, jumping offside, hitting after plays, the dumb stuff, we've got to knock those out. And we control those. And those are the things I want to make sure we get rid of.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees acquiring 3B Ryan McMahon in trade with Rockies
The Yankees are making an upgrade at third base, acquiring Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, according to Mark Feinsand. New York is sending two pitching prospects in exchange for the 2024 All-Star, including LHP Griffin Herring, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo. The Rockies are currently a league-worst 26-76 and on pace for the worst record in major league history. McMahon is in the fourth year of a six-year, $70 million contract. He's owed $16 million in both of the next two seasons before becoming a free agent ahead of the 2028 season. The 30-year-old is slashing .217/.314/.403 this season with 16 home runs, 15 doubles, and 35 RBI over 100 games. He's struck out a league-leading 127 times, but is still on pace for his fifth straight 20-plus home run season and sixth of his career. It's a drop-off from his All-Star 2024 season in which he hit .242 with 20 homers, 28 doubles, and 65 RBI. McMahon had a career-best 4.0 WAR in 2021 with 23 home runs, 32 doubles, and 86 RBI in 151 games. He was drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Mater Dei HS in Santa Ana, CA and made his debut at age 22 in 2017. Over nine seasons and 1,004 games with the Rockies, McMahon owns a .240 batting average and .740 OPS with 137 homers and 445 RBI. Defensively, McMahon has logged 696 games at third base, owning a .968 fielding percentage. He's also played 244 games at second base, 70 at first base, seven as a DH, and two at SS. He's played 100 games at third this season (.978 fielding percentage) and manned the hot corner for 152 games in 2024, leading the league in both assists (323) and errors (15). The Yankees will bank on his glove at third base for at least the rest of the season, allowing them to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base full-time.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ryan McMahon trade: Yankees acquire Rockies third baseman ahead of deadline, reports say
NEW YORK − The MLB trade deadline is days away, but the Yankees are already on the move. The Yankees are acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies, according to multiple reports. Third base was one of the Yankees' biggest needs, and McMahon will provide lefty power (though with a lot of strikeouts) and a contract that takes him through the 2027 season. Who did Yankees trade for Ryan McMahon? According to USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale, the Yankees will be sending pitching prospects Griffin Hering and Josh Grosz to Colorado in return. Check back here for more on this breaking news story. This article originally appeared on Ryan McMahon trade: Yankees acquire Rockies third baseman ahead of deadline
