ALLEN PARK, July 30 -- For the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, the 2026 NFL season began Wednesday morning with the same problem. The player each franchise depends on most arrived at training camp and went nowhere near the practice field. Bijan Robinson at the Falcons' facility in Flowery Branch. Jahmyr Gibbs at the Lions' complex here in Allen Park. Both earning roughly $1 million in base salary this season. Both worth, by any credible market measure, something close to $20 million annually.

The parallel hold-ins are the product of a running back economy resetting itself. Saquon Barkley signed for $20.6 million per year with Philadelphia last offseason, the first back to crack that threshold. Robinson and Gibbs are not trying to rewr...