The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of important contract decisions to make this offseason but here’s one that was unexpected: a new deal for Saquon Barkley.
The Eagles are signing the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year to a contract extension that runs through the 2028 season, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter.
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 additional $15 million in incentives and escalators. The deal includes $36 million fully guaranteed at signing. The Eagles are taking the rare step of extending Barkley one year into his three-year deal – and in the same league year in which they signed him to the initial contract.
The Eagles originally signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract with $26 million guaranteed in March 2024. Part of the reason why the Eagles signed him was because they felt like that was really good value for a player of his caliber. They proved to be right as Barkley turned in the best running back season in NFL history, setting a new record for total rushing yards (including playoffs). Barkley made a strong push for MVP and emerged as a key leader during the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory season.
With that in mind, there’s no question that Barkley was deserving of being rewarded. It’s just interesting to see it happen with two years remaining on his deal. The exact structure and details of Barkley’s new deal remain to be seen; it’ll be interesting to see how his 2025 cap number if impacted.
Ultimately, this extension is mainly about rewarding a fantastic player for his historically great season.
My guess is the Barkley extension is similar to the CMC one where they just tack on massive money years at the end and guarantee the existing money. Would be crazy if its anything else
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) March 4, 2025
On Saquon: His old deal had $24.5m ($12.5 guar) left. My guess is that they guaranteed the rest of that, paid him a $10m signing bonus, added a $1.5m guarantee in 2027, and $31.2m base salary over 2027-28. Would increase his cap number in 2025 from $7.361m to $9.361m.
— Sam Lynch (@shlynch) March 4, 2025
The #Eagles extend players a year before we all think they should.
A) It keeps their cap fluid & controllableB) It rewards players with upfront cashC) It is noticed by every player & agent throughout the league.
It’s no accident that this contract was announced a week before…
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 4, 2025
