Maybe the “old” guys have a point.

After Saquon Barkley and the Giants failed to agree to a long-term deal ahead of the deadline on Monday, numerous star running backs across the NFL voiced their displeasure with the devaluing of the position across the league.

Veteran running backs reportedly formed a group chat, organizing a social media blitz while continuing to seek out possible remedies to the position’s decreasing worth to executives.

Much of that stems from a belief that running backs decline much quicker than players at other positions, given the physical, punishing nature of the role. Players in the latter half of their 20s who have finished their rookie deals are already considered old, and teams in recent years often have preferred to move on to younger, cheaper options they believe can step in and immediately deliver similar results.

But recent history shows the drop-off in production for veterans isn’t so immediate or steep. In fact, often these running backs’ best days still are ahead of them.

Barkley is 26 years old and is entering his sixth season in the NFL. Let’s take a look at how last year’s top-paid running backs (in terms of average annual value) fared in their sixth seasons:

Christian McCaffrey

Perhaps the best example Barkley can point to as an all-round back adept at catching the ball out of the backfield, McCaffrey enjoyed a strong sixth season in 2022.

He finished the regular season with 1,139 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, both of which were the second-highest marks of his career. Along with his 741 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns, McCaffrey’s 1,880 yards from scrimmage were third-most in the league, and his 13 total touchdowns were tied for fourth.

In fact, of the top 15 players in total yards from scrimmage last year, five were running backs in their sixth season or later, three of whom made the playoffs. Only two were running backs in their first two years in the league.

On the decline? Veteran running backs are dominating the league. Where are all the youngsters supposedly capable of the same results?

Key to McCaffrey’s output was the fact he stayed healthy, an issue that plagued him the previous two seasons.

In the postseason, McCaffrey’s 299 yards from scrimmage led the league as he helped carry the 49ers — using their third-string quarterback — to the NFC Championship.

There’s no value in that?

Derrick Henry

Although Henry’s sixth season was marred by injury, he returned to his dominant self in season No. 7.

Henry rushed for 1,538 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in the 2022 regular season — both of which were second-most in the league. He stayed healthy as well, playing in 16 games.

Amid nightmarish quarterback woes, Henry kept the Titans in the playoff picture until the end of the season.

If that’s on the decline, sign me up.

Austin Ekeler

Caught in a contract impasse similar to Barkley’s, Ekeler’s sixth season last year was his best. And also like Barkley, Ekeler excels as both a runner and receiver.

He tallied 18 total touchdowns in the regular season, the most in the NFL among non-quarterbacks. His 1,637 yards from scrimmage were eighth-most in the league.

Ekeler was the most important weapon at Justin Herbert’s disposal, helping the Chargers to a postseason berth.

Aaron Jones

Jones’ sixth season was perhaps his best as well.

Although the Packers missed the playoffs, Jones rushed for a career-high 1,121 yards in the regular season, and added two rushing touchdowns as well as 395 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.

His 1,516 yards from scrimmage were the second-most in his career and the ninth-most in the league.

If anything, Jones is ascending — not descending.

Dalvin Cook

Currently unemployed after the Vikings cut him earlier in the offseason, Cook’s sixth year in the NFL was one of his best.

He rushed for 1,173 yards in the regular season — the second-most of his career and sixth-most in the league — and added eight rushing touchdowns, the third-most of his career. With 295 receiving yards, Cook’s 1,468 yards from scrimmage were 12th-most in the NFL.

An integral part of the Vikings’ humming offense, he was key to the team’s 13-4 record and playoff berth.

That’s not valuable?

Alvin Kamara

Although he’s had legal issues off the field and the Saints team around him has struggled, Kamara’s sixth season was largely in line with his career norms.

His 897 rushing yards in the regular season were the third-most of his career, and his 1,387 total yards from scrimmage were the fourth-most of his career.

It’s his touchdowns, however, where Kamara has glaringly dropped off. His four total scores last season were by far the lowest of his career.

Ezekiel Elliott

The first example most point to when warning against paying running backs, Elliott finds himself a free agent like Cook after the Cowboys cut him earlier in the offseason.

He stayed somewhat productive in his sixth season, tallying 1,002 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns — both of which were the fourth-best marks in his career. But last year, in his seventh season, he really struggled, recording a career-low 876 rushing yards, though he did add 12 rushing touchdowns.

Receiving one of the league’s biggest workloads every season since he entered the league, should Elliott be considered the outlier, or the rule?

His counterparts suggest the former.

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Is Aaron Boone starting to feel the heat?

The Yankees manager’s demeanor has changed a bit in recent days as the team’s recent struggles have reached a boiling point.

The Yankees (50-47) are mired in last place in the AL East, nine games out of first place and now 3.5games out of the final wild-card spot after Wednesday’s night’s 7-3 loss to the Angels that was lowlighted by $162 addition Carlos Rodon appearing to blow a kiss to fans jeering him behind the team’s dugout.

“We stink right now. We acknowledge that,” Boone said after the Yankees lost for the ninth time in their past 11 games, in one of his calmer recent assessments.

In an appearance Tuesday afternoon on Jomboy Media’s Talkin’ Yanks podcast, Boone snapped when discussing the Yankees’ walk-off loss to the Angels the night before.

Host Jimmy O’Brien, known as “Jomboy,” told Boone that he would have intentionally walked Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani in the seventh inning before he hit a game-tying two-run homer.

“When you manage the team, you can make that call then,” Boone fired back.

Two days prior, after losing two of three games to the National League worst-Rockies, Boone was asked whether he still believed the Yankees are a championship-caliber team.

“It’s baseball. Major League Baseball. Save it with that question,” Boone barked. “We got two and a half months to put ourselves in a position to be championship-caliber. …

“It’s a grind every time you go out there and put a Major League Baseball uniform on. I don’t buy into that garbage at all.”

It’s a departure from Boone’s typical demeanor that’s normally steady and not overly emotional — when he’s not raging against the umpires, that is — especially with the media.

Could it be a sign the team’s woes are finally getting to him?

Days after one of the most barren sports weeks of the year, fans now have the opposite opportunity.

Starting 1:30 a.m. ET early Thursday morning with the beginning of the British Open, local fans could be kicking back right now and watching about 15 straight hours of big-ticket live sports on television.

The Women’s World Cup kicked off overnight with co-host New Zealand’s upset victory over Norway. Australia, the tournament’s other co-host, played Ireland starting at 6 a.m. ET (Nigeria-Canada also play Thursday ET at 10:30 p.m.).

South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht was the early leader at the British Open, which will run into the early afternoon, when the Mets begin their series finale against the White Sox at 1:10 p.m.

All of the British Open, Women’s World Cup and Mets game will be televised in the local broadcast area.

From the start of the British Open to the conclusion of the Mets game, it’ll likely be around 15 straight hours of live sports available locally to anyone who has the day off, or can get it on short notice.

Not bad for the middle of the summer.