Earning $13,719,844 as rookie, Bijan Robinson pips Derrick Henry to become highest paid RB in 2023
Bijan Robinson was the first running back taken in this year's NFL draft with expectations to play like a current star running back.
Robinson inked his four-year rookie contract in May and is set to make $13,719,844 this upcoming season. He will be the highest-paid running back in the league, making more than Titans star Derrick Henry, who will earn $10.5 million in 2023.
Robinson shined at the University of Texas in his final season with the Longhorns. He was sixth in all of college football with 1,580 yards rushing and fifth with 18 touchdowns.
The Atlanta Falcons rookie won the Doak Walker award as college football's top running back and was a Consensus All-American in his junior season.
Bijan Robinson will make $13,719,844 in total cash this season as a rookie, which is the most of any RB this year.
No RB is even within $1.5M of this grand total.
Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in rushing last season will make over $3.5M less in total cash this season.
Derrick… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/vZATq3mfd3
Derrick Henry placed second in the NFL last season with 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns with the Tennessee Titans. 2022 marked the fourth time in Henry's career with at least 1,000 yards in a season and his fourth straight with 10 or more touchdowns. The All-Pro is the NFL's active leader in both rushing yards and touchdowns.
The 2020 AP Offensive Player of the Year was also a standout running back with the University of Alabama. Derrick Henry won the Heisman Trophy in his junior season as he led college football in yards (2,219) and touchdowns (28). It's the sixth-most yards in a season in college football history.
Can Bijan Robinson have a better rookie season than Derrick Henry did?
Robinson is projected by some experts to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year this upcoming season. According to CBS Sports, he is expected to have 1,427 total yards and 13 touchdowns for the Falcons offense.
Those numbers would be significantly better than Henry's numbers in his rookie season with the Titans in 2016. Henry played in 15 games with two starts, rushing for 490 yards and five touchdowns.
We will see if Bijan Robinson can have a rookie season better than Henry did in the upcoming 2023 campaign.