Saying Goodbye to Veteran RBs Becoming a Trend

First LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Lewis... Then Brian Westbrook... Now Thomas Jones. Who will be next to fall in the line of veteran running backs whos teams simply don't want to pay for their services anymore?

Maybe Ricky Williams or Clinton Portis will be getting the boot next. It seems that the NFL is evolving rapidly at the running back position. More and more, you see teams that have solid seasons from first and second year backs, which eliminates the need for these high-paid veterans to stay on payroll. There are so many talented running backs in the league that can get the job done, that more and more seasoned veterans are losing their jobs or becoming role players who are used to mentor these young players.

Take the New York Jets for example. This season, Thomas Jones ran for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. His backup, third round draft pick Shonn Greene, amassed 540 yards during the regular season and became a crucial part of the Jets' playoff run. Now that they have come to the conclusion that Greene can handle the load offensively, there's no need to pay a veteran like Jones, who still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Of course, most of these players will find jobs, they will get their chances to prove they still have some play-making ability, and will probably play out the remainder of their NFL careers with a different team. But in the business that is the NFL, times are-a-changing.