He knows the numbers haven’t always been overwhelming the last several years. He knows people are going to look at the contract and wonder if he’s worth it. He knows the narrative around running backs with a ton of career touches.
And Saquon Barkley knows that even after two Pro Bowls, three 1,000-yard seasons and more than 7,000 scrimmage yards before his 27th birthday, there are questions he won’t be able to answer until he hits the field.
“I think, the point I am in my career, just to be able to get a fresh start is good,” Barkley said Thursday. “Something new, a different excitement. I feel like I'm a rookie all over again.”
With a $12.6 million average on his three-year, $37.75 million contract, Barkley is the highest-paid running back in Eagles history and the 5th-highest-paid running back in the NFL.
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But the questions about whether he's worth it are valid. He’s been under 4.0 yards per carry two of the last three years, and his 4.0 average since 2020 ranks 23rd among 29 running backs with at least 500 carries.
Miles Sanders is sixth on that list at 4.8. D’Andre Swift is 10th at 4.6 Barkley is 23rd.
“I feel like I'm a special player, I feel like I still got a lot left and I’ve got a lot to prove and I just can't wait to get on the field with those guys and prove it and show it to the world,” he said.
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Some of the numbers aren’t elite, but Barkley has also had two seasons that very few running backs have ever had. In 2018 and 2022, he ran for over 1,300 yards, caught over 50 passes, had over 1,600 scrimmage yards and made the Pro Bowl.
The Eagles are gambling that a healthy Barkley with a better offensive line than he’s ever had and far better skill guys around him can still be the player who had eight touchdowns of 50 or more yards, 17 100-yard rushing games and 47 touchdowns during his stay with the Giants.
“I don't get into the analytics and all that stuff,” he said. “I believe that the work you put in is what you get out, and I'm going to continue to have that mindset.”
Barkley’s production – like most backs – has been closely related to his health. When he’s been healthy, he’s put up very good numbers. But he suffered an ankle sprain early in his second season, when he dropped from over 2,000 scrimmage yards to just over 1,400. He missed most of 2020 with a torn ACL and then dealt with an ankle injury and stringer that affected him in 2021. He played last year with ankle and elbow injuries.
Keep him healthy and you’re onto something.
But even going into his seventh year and with everything he’s accomplished so far, Barkley still believes the best is yet to come.
“That's just me, that's my mindset,” he said. “I'm always gonna have that mindset every year.
“How can I get better? How can I improve? Go back, watch the little things (and) learn from the mistakes and just keep leveling up. I feel like that's the mindset that you have to have.”
To understand how happy Barkley is, keep in mind his best season in six years with the Giants was nine wins. The Eagles averaged more than nine wins the last six years.
“I know everyone's stuck on last year, but being 11-6 and making it to the first round (of the playoffs) and that's a down year? That's a great culture you want to be a part of when you have that mindset where it's like, ‘No, we need to do way more.’
“I know how special this place is and I know how special a player that I believe I can be and I'm just happy to be a part of it.”
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