Latest sports news: Christian McCaffrey’s contract shouldn’t be topped; Ja Morant laughs at Kendrick Nunn; NFL Virtual Draft details emerge

No running back should even try to surpass Christian McCaffrey’s new contract.

McCaffrey set a new bar at running back, signing a four-year, $64 million extension with the Carolina Panthers. At $16 million per year, the deal is the richest ever by a running back, surpassing Ezekiel Elliot’s contract for $15 million.

McCaffrey’s contract is important because it’s the new standard at running back, and it shouldn’t be topped. Next year’s free agency running back group is loaded. Leonard Fournette, Aaron Jones, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon will all receive sizable paydays, and deservedly so. Usually in the NFL, one guy gets paid just for another top-tier guy to come to top it, but it would be silly for these players to hold out or expect a contract surpassing McCaffrey’s next season.

McCaffrey’s contract is a compliment to his versatility. He’s the only player in NFL history to have 2,500 rushing and receiving yards after three seasons. You want more impressive stats? As noted by Paul Hembekides, McCaffrey has more rush yards than Marcus Allen, more receiving yards than Marvin Harrison and more yards from scrimmage than Barry Sanders in his first three seasons. Those are Hall of Famers.

It’s no knock on the other running backs. According to Over the Cap, only five running backs are making more than $10 million per season. Cook, Fournette, Jones, Kamara and Mixon joining the list next season would double it. But make no mistake about it, McCaffery is the gold standard right now of value and versatility at running back.

Vince Lombardi once said one of my favorite quotes: “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”

Okay, yeah he’s right, but “winning is the only thing that matters” has officially gotten out of hand. Miami Heat rookie Kendrick Nunn said that he deserves the Rookie of the Year award over Grizzlies guard Ja Morant.

“I think people will say that he is Rookie of the Year, but I don’t believe it,” Nunn said to Heat beat writer Ira Winderman. "The most value should be in the wins. We’re a playoff team, so go ahead and give that Rookie of the Year to Kendrick Nunn.”

Ja Morant’s response to this was what you’d expect.

Somewhere in the process, this conversation became more about winning than value to some. Nunn is a good player who I think could potentially post 20 points a game. He’s averaging 15.6 points and shooting 36% from three, but he’s not that guy in Memphis. Morant has the keys to the Grizzlies engine and he’s the driving force behind what looks like a future playoff trip. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game. Nunn is a passenger seat rider in Miami. The Grizzlies are one win shy of their total from last season 17 games left on their schedule.

Nunn has been a big part of the Heat’s success, but that is Jimmy Butler’s team. Butler averages 20.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists. Nunn is the third option at best. Bam Adebayo is a candidate for Most Improved and Goran Dragic has been a steady sixth man. Meanwhile, Morant has injected new blood into Memphis.

The Rookie of the Year is a formality at this point. Morant should just be practicing his speech with the time off.

More details are coming together about the NFL’s 2020 Virtual Draft. Roger Goodell is expected to announce the picks from his home in Westchester, N.Y. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that IT departments have installed cameras in the homes of coaches and GMs.

This seems well thought out. There will also be a draft simulator conducted before the official draft to make sure everything goes smoothly. This unique situation is turning out to be an interesting one.

One thing that’ll be missing is NFL fans won’t get their annual chance to boo Roger Goodell during the draft intro, so it’s only right if ESPN inserts booing noises when he first speaks.