The Clock is Ticking on De’Von Achane’s Extension

The Clock is Ticking on De’Von Achane’s Extension

A player who rushed for 1,350 yards, caught 67 passes for 488 yards, and found the end zone 12 times deserves to be paid. 

De’Von Achane posted the fifth-most rushing yards in the league despite playing one less game than those above him. He powered a struggling Dolphins offense in his junior campaign and is poised to do so again this season. The difference in his fourth year in Miami? Achane will be playing on a revamped contract.

The disparity in positional contracts across the league is eye-opening, and running backs have been severely underpaid. Eagles rusher Saquon Barkley is the highest-paid player at his position after signing a two-year, $41.2 million extension with Philadelphia in March 2025. He’s bringing in $20.6 million per year through 2028, which is the highest annual price tag across the league.

The contract came just a month after Barkley was named the 2024 AP Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for a career-high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in his seventh season. He clearly deserved an extension, but the contract details don’t exactly add up.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba inked an extension after hoisting the 2026 Super Bowl trophy just a few weeks prior. Like Barkley, Smith-Njigba’s season was one for the record books and earned him AP Offensive Player of the Year. 

The latter was in the midst of his third season and playing on his rookie contract, but received a massive paycheck in March. 

Smith-Njigba became the league’s highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history after signing a four-year, $168.6 million contract that includes over $120 million guaranteed.

Comparing wideouts to running backs is like comparing apples to oranges, but are they really that different?

Barkley’s yearly average of $20.6 million would line up with that of Jakobi Meyers’. The Jaguars wide receiver is playing on a three-year, $60 million contract and is the league’s 22nd-highest paid on an average basis.

It’s obvious that Barkley is more valuable than Meyers, no offense to the NC State product, but how does the current state of the running back value impact Achane?

He’s heading into his fourth season and has already proved the Dolphins need him to play at a top-tier level in order to generate any semblance of success.

Miami is lucky to have Achane still playing on his rookie deal, which is costing it just over $1.3 million per year. It’s time for the former third-round selection to be handed a new contract.

The tide is turning in terms of running back salaries, and time is quickly slipping out of Miami’s fingers. Arizona’s No. 4 pick Jeremiyah Love will be playing on a fully guaranteed rookie contract after agreeing to rack up $53 million over the next four years.

Outside of Achane, there are a handful of key rushers who are due for an extension. The longer the Dolphins wait, the higher the price for their star player.

Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs had their respective fifth-year options picked up and are both extension eligible. The two have proven they deserve to be paid, and if Miami waits for one or both backs to sign, they will be forced to give Achane more money than initially expected. 

Recent projections have the 24-year-old signing a four-year deal worth $59.1 million, per Spotrac. The annual salary of $14.8 million would slot Achane at No. 4 across league rushers. 

Jets running back Breece Hall’s extension on Friday earned him nearly $14.3 million per year, so Achane may make it a point to receive more than his AFC East counterpart.