The game changed.

The rules changed and continue to change.

It is a passing league, QBs are protected and the elite QBs are the celebrated driving force behind the popularity of the sport.

Running backs aren't returning to glory any time soon, and neither will their treatment by smart GMs who know better than to tie up money at the position.

Seven years till the next CBA gets negotiated and maybe then they can institute some additional incentive payment scheme for bell cow backs who get X number of touches and contribute X amount of offensive production for their teams.

I don't really see much else they could do.

The league already has something similar in place for undrafted players who end up with major starting roles so they earn more than the meager sum originally agreed to.
They could do this for backs who shine but earn under a certain threshold of salary.
MAYBE the league would agree to amend the current CBA with this sort of thing, but I don't know.

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