Last offseason, Saquon Barkley finally left the New York Giants, who selected him No. 2 overall out of Penn State in the 2017 NFL Draft and signed a 3-year $38 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Unshackled from the dysfunction in New York, Barkley exploded for a 2,000-yard season, helping lead Philadelphia to the Super Bowl, and on Tuesday, he got rewarded for it.
Eagles are rewarding Saquon Barkley with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, per sources. The deal makes Barkley the NFL’s first $20 million+ per-year running back. Barkley also has the ability to earn an… pic.twitter.com/h5iEf5IWe2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles make Saquon Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history
Despite his historic production last season, Barkley had virtually no leverage only one year into his three-year deal. Yet, he still managed to cash in and become the league’s first $20+ million running back.
With 2,005 rushing yards, Barkley was exactly 100 shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, and the former Penn State star sat out the final week of the regular season when the Eagles were locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Barkley then proceeded to rush for 499 yards and five touchdowns across Philly’s four-game postseason run including a dominant 205-yard two-touchdown outing in the divisional round win over the LA Rams.
Barkley won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, was named First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career, and was third in MVP voting behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
There isn’t much precedent for this preemptive extension, especially for a 28-year-old running back who has battled injuries through the first six years of his career. However, the NFL has begun shifting back towards paying running backs with Barkley and Derrick Henry dominating much of the 2024-25 season.
The expectation for Barkley when he left Happy Valley was that he would become the best running back in football. Poor offensive line play and an organizational disaster prevented that from happening in New York, but he’s finally realizing his immense potential and he’s doing it back in PA.