AI Summary
5 min readHour 2 – Dirty Money
The Atlanta Falcons just made Bijan Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history, and Ben Maller is not sure whether to applaud or laugh. The deal: three years, up to $75 million, with $51 million guaranteed and a $37 million signing bonus. Robinson had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns last season, earning first-team All-Pro honors. But the contract raises a question Maller thinks the Falcons answered wrong: did Atlanta simply ignore everything the league has learned about paying running backs over the last 20 years?
The case against paying running backs
Maller lays out the standard argument against big running back contracts with characteristic bluntness. The position has the shortest shelf life in football — "it goes bad quick, like not a lot of preservatives, the bread starts getting moldy, it turns blue." Running backs also carry the highest injury rate per capita in the NFL, and replacements are relatively easy to find. "You just go call the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and you get a running back," Maller says. Paying a record amount for a running back in 2026, he argues, is "like buying the world's greatest DVD player" — technically functional, but strategically pointless.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (03:20) **Bijan Robinson's Record Deal** - The Falcons make Bijan Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history with a three-year extension worth up to $75 million, including $51 million guaranteed and a $37 million signing bonus.
- 2 (08:00) **Falcons' Offensive Core Locked Up** - Atlanta has now signed Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts to long-term contracts, supposedly setting their offensive future.
- 3 (12:00) **Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions' Waiting Game** - With Robinson's deal done, attention turns to Detroit, where Jahmyr Gibbs is still waiting for his contract extension.
- 4 (18:30) **Media Hypocrisy on Player Contracts** - Maller criticizes NFL media for acting as "Santa's helpers" in pushing for player contracts while ignoring the financial struggles of other professions like radio hosts.
- 5 (25:35) **Vegas Meet & Greet Announcement** - Maller promotes an upcoming fan meet-up in Las Vegas on August 29th, organized by listener "Slug."
- 6 (27:00) **Listener Interaction and Sloppy Edits** - Maller takes comments from listeners on X, including one about a creepy stranger from Louisiana saying "I love you" and another about what a "hold-in" would look like for the Ben Maller show.
- 7 (28:40) **Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay** - A caller suggests Bijan Robinson could pay Baker Mayfield to forget their college rivalry, leading Maller to speculate that Mayfield might leave Tampa Bay.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about Bijan Robinson getting a record deal and if Atlanta just ignored everything we've learned about paying running backs, if it's true that the Falcons future is now set up with Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. Jahmyr Gibbs not getting paid yet, Maller to the Third Degree, and more!
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