Saquon Barkley Hopes Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, James Cook Beat His Eagles Contract

Saquon Barkley is rooting for some of his fellow running backs to get the money they deserve.

Barkley set the running back market last offseason when he signed a three-year, $37.7 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. After helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl this past season, he was rewarded with a two-year, $41.2 million extension.

With several running backs hitting near the end of their respective contracts, Barkley said he hopes they get the same treatment.

"I hope it does what it's supposed to do," Barkley said, per Tim McManus of ESPN. "Every other position, the value increases each year.

"For the [Bijan Robinson]s and the [Jahmyr] Gibbses, I know [James] Cook is up, too -- all those guys who are up need to get paid. I hope they beat [the value of my deal]. ... All of those young guys that's underneath me, when there's a time, hopefully they beat it and max it out even more."

Barkley made the Eagles' investment very worthwhile in 2024, to say the least. He rushed for 2,005 yards with 13 touchdowns while adding 499 yards and five touchdowns during the Eagles postseason run to the second Super Bowl in franchise history. He won the Offensive Player of the Year award for his efforts and was named first-team All-Pro.

While that is an incredibly high bar to set, other running backs from last year like Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones and Austin Ekeler had productive seasons and made their team's investments worth it. Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins and Nick Chubb are some of the notable free agents in this cycle but several young stars are also drawing closer to free agency.

Robinson has been dynamic for the Atlanta Falcons, rushing for 1,456 yards with 14 touchdowns in 2024 while adding 431 receiving yards and a touchdown. Gibbs was even better for the Detroit Lions last year, rushing for 1,412 yards with 16 touchdowns and adding 517 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

While Gibbs and Robinson are still a few seasons away from free agency, continued production should put them in Barkley's territory for contracts. If that happens, Barkley's comments show he will be a proud peer.