Saquon Barkley historic season resulted in the Philadelphia Eagles running back becoming the highest-paid player for his position in NFL history. Barkley signed a two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million, as he becomes the first running back to make $20+ million a year.
The extension was well earned by Barkley, who had one of the greatest seasons ever for any player in league history -- his first season with the Eagles. Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season, the ninth player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards. He had seven touchdown runs of 60+ yards this season (including playoffs), an NFL record for a season and three more than the next-highest player. Three touchdown runs of 60+ yards runs have come in the postseason, a feat which no other player has accomplished in their entire playoff career.
Barkley finished with the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history with 2,504 (including playoffs), the first player ever to have 2,500 rushing yards in a season. He also finished with 2,857 yards from scrimmage, the most ever in a season in league history (including playoffs). He's one of only three running backs to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and a Super Bowl title -- joining Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk (both are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame).
The Eagles rewarded Barkley for his tremendous season, while also making sure he finished his career in a Eagles uniform. The extension will pay Barkley through his prime seasons, and reset the running back market as a result.
With Barkley's deal in place, here are the top contracts for running backs based on average annual salary:
Top RB contracts
| Player | Team | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles | $20,600,000 |
$19,000,000 | ||
$14,000,000 | ||
$12,250,000 | ||
$12,000,000 | ||
$9,875,000 | ||
$9,500,000 | ||
$9,125,000 | ||
$9,000,000 | ||
$8,300,000 |
The majority of these running back deals have come during the 2024 and 2025 offseasons. Barkley signed his first deal with the Eagles in 2024 and was making $12.6 million a year, the third highest-paid running back in the NFL. McCaffrey signed his extension in 2024, while Jacobs and Mixon signed their free agent deals last season as well.
The oldest deal amongst the top-10 running backs? Taylor's extension, which he signed in 2023. Taylor is the only player in the top-10 that has signed an extension prior to 2024.
The running back market has significantly changed over the past two years. With the rising salary cap and the position working its way back to a more prominent role, running backs are starting to get paid.
