Texans' Dameon Pierce Reacts: How to 'Set the Market' on RB Contracts

The running back market has been devalued over the past few years, but Houston Texans' Dameon Pierce believes there is a way to fix the problem.

HOUSTON — The market for an NFL running back is at an all-time low. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard had substantial performances for their respective teams last season. But during the off-season, each team awarded its star tailback with a $10.1 million franchise tag offer rather than a long-term deal.

Houston Texans standout Dameon Pierce understands that intermediate decisions over the next few years will impact his future. But Pierce believes in order to fix the demands for running backs, it will take a team and a player to reset the market. His idea stems from when the Texans awarded him his rookie contract in 2022.  

"Once you set a market for something, everybody is going to follow," Pierce said. "Kind of like what happened when I came in. When I got my rookie ... four-year contract, and everybody’s trying to say, ‘Hey, man, he got this,’ and then everybody’s trying to bump it up. The NFL, it’s the business side. They’ve got their own opinions and ‘have their guys working on that,’ or whatever."

After drafting the University of Florida prospect in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Texans signed Pierce to a four-year contract worth $4.5 million. Houston paid Pierce $25,000 more based on his draft selection, and the Texans' decision led to the agents of other fourth-round picks to ask for a similar deal. 

Pierce is under contract until 2026. And by the time he will be due for his first career payday, Pierce hopes his on-field production would have been enough to turn the Texans into a championship-contending team.

The Texans won three games during his rookie season, but Pierce had already proved his worth as a foundational piece.

Before his rookie season came to an end due to a foot injury, Pierce had rushed for 939 yards on 220 carries through 13 games. His best performance came during the Texans' 29-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He rushed for a career-best 131 yards on 27 carries.

Pierce fixed the Texans' backfield in his first year. And without his services for the final four games, Houston averaged 64.7 yards on the ground.

No one can deny his on-field importance to the Texans. But Pierce also believes a player's value to an organization can also be determined by their influence within the locker room. 

And according to coach DeMeco Ryans, Pierce could be one of a handful of running backs whose talents will not depreciate over the next few years.

"Dameon has been having a really great offseason ... and every time he touches the ball, you see the speed, you see the physicality," Ryans said. "I’m encouraged to see his progress in Year 2. He’s doing an excellent job, and I think I love Dameon just because his personality is great. ... He brings a lot of energy each and every day, always has a smile on his face, always excited, and always enthusiastic about practice, so he has that contagious energy that I love to be around."

And maybe Pierce has an idea about "market-setting'' at running back that can be "contagious'' as well.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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