The Philadelphia Eagles are signing running back Saquon Barkley to a two-year, $41.2 million extension, according to ESPN and NFL Network. The deal will make Barkley the highest-paid running back in NFL history and the first player at the position to earn more than $20 million a year.
The contract includes $36 million guaranteed, plus an additional $15 million in incentives, according to ESPN.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Barkley spent the first six seasons with the New York Giants before signing with the Eagles last year.
Barkley’s first season in Philadelphia was a fruitful one. He ran the ball 345 times for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season. He then added another 499 yards and five scores en route to the Eagles’ win in Super Bowl 59.
Barkley, 28, initially signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia last March. His departure from the Giants was infamously documented on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” last summer, when New York’s front office was shown saying Barkley was too expensive with what the team was spending on quarterback Daniel Jones. (The Giants would release Jones in the middle of the season.)
“I kind of felt like it was a little disrespectful, to be honest, because it’s kind of like a slap in the face,” Barkley said about New York’s decision on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast last July.
Barkley’s decision to stay with the Eagles for the long term should help them maintain their formidable rushing attack. Philadelphia ranked second in the NFL last season with 179.3 yards per game.
