Eagles Today

The Method Behind The Madness Of Eagles' Latest Eye-Opening Extension

The latest Eagles' record-setting contract extension went to superstar running back Saquon Barkley.
John McMullen|
Feb 14, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) lifts the Lombardi Trophy during the Super Bowl LIX championship parade and rally.
Feb 14, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) lifts the Lombardi Trophy during the Super Bowl LIX championship parade and rally. | Caean Couto-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - Sometimes things align. Have the best rushing season in NFL history, get the best running back contract in league lore.

The Eagles’ out of left field, two-year, $41.2 million extension with superstar Saquon Barkley is about much more than the average contract tweak around the league, though.

It exemplifies Philadelphia’s mindset – perhaps on steroids – when it comes to the business side of the game.

Regarding contracts, the Eagles are usually a year ahead of conventional thinking. In the case of Barkley, 28, make that about 14 or 15 months. 

Essentially GM Howie Roseman gave Barkley one of the biggest RB contracts and doubled down with the largest ever in the same league year for the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Year, who broke Terrell Davis' quarter-century old single-season record for most rushing yards with 2,504 through Super Bowl LIX.

The Eagles organization trusts its evaluation process with players and likes a forward-looking approach to stay ahead of the competition (think Jordan Mailata, Devonta Smith, and A.J. Brown) and often set the market with star players, something they've recently done with quarterback Jalen Hurts, and left guard Landon Dickerson.

Also understand that Roseman is creating immediate cap space (estimated at nearly $7M in Barkley's case) while giving the player money up front, making both sides of the equation balanced.

The Eagles have never been in the business of paying players for past performance so this is about projecting Barkley as a high-level player for at least the next two seasons, and keeping the window open at a volatile position open through the 2026 season rather than original 2025 revisit.

The proactive nature of the Eagles with top players allows them to set the market where they are comfortable instead of being reactive to a number defined by others.

Also don’t dismiss the calendar with this deal. "Rewarding" Barkley a week ahead of free agency sends a message to every player and agent around the league that it’s a good idea to get into business with Roseman and Co.

In a copycat league, that is what everyone else should be trying to replicate when it comes to the success in Philadelphia.

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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