Saquon Barkley contract: A look at how previous 2,000-yard rushers fared two years after historic campaign

The pressure is certainly on Saquon Barkley heading into the 2026 season.

Barkley is coming off a fine 2025 campaign, but the numbers he put up aren't reflective of a player that makes an average annual salary of $20.6 million a year. With Barkley's contract coming into focus after 2026, there is pressure on the star running back to have a big season.

If Barkley doesn't put up better numbers than last year, there's an opportunity for the Eagles to get out of his contract heading into the 2027 season.

Barkley has $16,750,000 in guaranteed salary for the 2026 season, with a cap number of $9,881,100 (per Over the Cap). The contract changes in 2027, as Barkley has just $2.5 million in guaranteed money and a cap number of $13,057,100. The Eagles would actually save $5,066,100 by designating Barkley as a post-June 1 cut -- and would eat $3,540,900 in cap space as a pre-June 1 cut.

Of course the deal can always be reworked, but Barkley is entering his age-29 season. Would the Eagles even want to keep an age-30 running back around? That's a decision Philadelphia will have to make, and Barkley's performance could make the decision easier.

The season following a 2,000-yard rushing campaign is very difficult, but what about the season following that season? Here's a look at all the 2,000-yard running backs in NFL history and how they fared two years following their historic campaign.

How 2,000-yard rushers fared two years after the 2,000-yard year

Running back	2,000-yard season	Following season	Two years later
Eric Dickerson	2,105 (1984)	1,234 (1985) -- 14 games	1,821 (1986) -- 16 games
Adrian Peterson	2,097 (2012)	1,266 (2013) -- 14 games	75 (2014) -- 1 game
Jamal Lewis	2,066 (2003)	1,006 (2004) -- 12 games	906 (2005) -- 15 games
Barry Sanders	2,053 (1997)	1,491 (1998) -- 16 games	Retired
Derrick Henry	2,027 (2020)	937 (2021) -- 8 games	1,538 (2022) -- 16 games
Terrell Davis	2,008 (1998)	211 (1999) -- 4 games	282 (2000) -- 5 games
Chris Johnson	2,006 (2009)	1,364 (2010) -- 16 games	1,047 (2011) -- 16 games
Saquon Barkley	2,005 (2024)	1,140 (2025) -- 16 games	?
O.J. Simpson	2,003 (1973)	1,125 (1974) -- 14 games	1,817 (1975) -- 14 games

As evidenced above, there are mixed results. Dickerson rushed for 2,000 yards at the age of 24, so he was entering his prime at 26. Simpson was 28 when he rushed for 1,817 in 1975, which was arguably the prime of his career. The NFL was more physical then, but the season was 14 games -- making Simpson's feat even more impressive.

Sanders was the oldest player to have a 2,000-yard season, but he retired two years later due to frustrations with the Detroit Lions and losing his drive for the game. The Hall of Fame running back went out on top of his game.

Of the eight members of the 2,000-yard club, only Henry has gotten close to getting 2,000 yards again. That was in the 2024 season, in which Henry finished with 1,921 rushing yards in his first campaign with the Baltimore Ravens. Henry also led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns, his seventh straight season with double-digit rushing touchdowns. Keep in mind Henry was 30 years old and accomplished all of this.

Henry rushed for 1,595 yards and 16 yards last season, playing all 17 games for the third consecutive year. He's still playing at a high level in his 30s, having four straight 1,000-yard and 10+ rushing touchdown seasons after his 2,000-yard season in 2020. Henry would have had a 1,000-yard season in 2021 if not for a season-ending foot injury midway through the year.

The jury is still out on Barkley if he can come close to his performance from his historic 2024 season, but Barkley takes incredible care of his body and has proven he's durable with the Eagles. The only games Barkley has missed in an Eagles uniform are due to the team resting him in the final regular season game of the year.

If Barkley can stay healthy all 17 games and the offensive line can get back to playing at the elite level the unit is accustomed to, Barkley has a strong shot at significantly improving his 2025 totals.

The Eagles don't need the 2024 version of Barkley, but they also don't need the 2025 version either.

An in-between version should keep Barkley in Philadelphia past the 2026 season, and gives Barkley an opportunity to finish his career with the Eagles.