It’s hard to believe it now, but Marshall Faulk’s Hall of Fame trajectory did not even really begin to take flight until after five seasons and a trade from the Indianapolis Colts to the St. Louis Rams in 1999. These days, it is all too common for fans to assume that running backs are not physically capable of playing more than four years in the league, but ironically many would amend that statement if the player is capable of also catching passes.
Somehow if you’re purely a runner, your career lifespan is assumed to be shorter and less valuable than if you’re also (and mostly) a receiver.