Saquon Barkley Becomes NFL’s Highest-Paid Running Back After Signing With Philadelphia Eagles

The contract extension is worth $41.2M, with $36M guaranteed. The deal also includes $15M in incentives.

Just one year after joining the Philadelphia Eagles and playing a key role in their Super Bowl victory, Saquon Barkley has become the highest-paid running back in NFL history.

The Eagles rewarded this year’s NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year by extending his contract into the 2028 football season.

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The running back also broke an NFL record for rushing yards in a season (including the playoffs) when he amassed 2,504 yards. That total broke Terrell Davis’ 1998 record of 2,476 yards. Barkley had a franchise-record 2,283 yards from scrimmage. He was responsible for a league-high 34.8 percent of the team’s output, with 15 total touchdowns in the regular season.

Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman stated that Barkley’s historic year was “the best season for any skill position player in NFL history.”

In a social media post, the Eagles player said, Overflow! “Grateful for the Eagles Organization , grateful for my team, grateful for the amazing fans in Philly. Fly Eagles Fly”

Overflow! Grateful for the Eagles Organization , grateful for my team, grateful for the amazing fans in Philly. Fly Eagles Fly 🦅 @EdwardMBerry 😤 pic.twitter.com/q2u4gr9IX2

— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) March 4, 2025

“It’s very obvious when you watch the tape how good of a player he is, right? But the things that he has that he brings to our football team as far as his leadership, his work ethic. He’s an awesome teammate. Those are the things that make him very special,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said in a written statement. “And that’s pretty special that I’m saying that even more after you see him jumping over guys backwards and all that stuff.”

The Associated Press reported that the contract extension is worth $41.2 million, with $36 million guaranteed. The deal also includes $15 million in incentives.

The Eagles signed Barkley last year to a three-year, $37.75 million deal in free agency when he entered free agency after playing for the New York Giants as a No. 2 draft pick in 2018.