NFL Icon Jerome Bettis weighs in on the importance of franchise running backs

USA Today

04-07-2025

This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Pro Football Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis. Bettis is participating in this year's American Century Championship, which will take place July 9-13 at Edgewood Tahoe. Bettis shared his thoughts on the importance of teams committing to a franchise running back, as many, including Kansas City Chiefs starter Isiah Pacheco, await word on a potential contract extension."Well, teams must understand that when you find a franchise running back, you sign them. Make no mistake, because he changes the complexion of what your team looks like and how your team will perform. I think people often look at where the NFL is today; it's more of a passing league, and because of that, people have taken the running back position a little bit for granted," said Bettis, "And say, you know what? We can get just a guy to go out and give us 12 to 15 carries, and then we get another guy to give us another 10 or 8 carries. We can do it by just getting a couple of good players, and they don't have to pay the price of a top-tier running back, and they can put that money in other places. They are starting to realize that if I don't have a franchise running back, my team looks different than some of these teams competing for a championship because they have that go-to running back now."Bettis praised Philadelphia's decision to sign Saquon Barkley and his success as an example of a franchise running back. During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, he mentioned several others, including Pacheco from the Chiefs, who hasn't been offered an extension yet."I will say this: it's not easy to find the franchise running backs because the colleges aren't running the ball the way they used to. So you don't see as many coming out of the NFL. Every year, you see one, maybe two. I think they had two solid running backs in this draft, so you felt good about drafting in the first round," Bettis told Easton Jr., "So you're not finding as many as you used to. But when you find one, you better keep them and pay them. You saw Green Bay (Packers). They went out and got a guy who was a bell cow, and he (Josh Jacobs) changed what that team looked like. Then you look at Baltimore (Ravens). They go out, and they go and get a guy (Derrick Henry). They're getting a stud, which makes them look different, so when you find them and bring them in, it changes your team, and you see the difference. So it's not a mistake that these teams have had the years that they have with the running backs that they have."The annual tournament awards $750,000 in prize money, much of which the celebrity players donate to local and national charities. Over the years, nearly $8 million has been donated to non-profit causes. Network television exposure on NBC and a first-place prize of $150,000 make the celebrity tournament one of the most prestigious in the golf world.
Check out the website for more information about the American Century Championship.