Eagles' Saquon Barkley Reacts to No Longer Being NFL's Highest-Paid RB

Saquon Barkley entered the summer as the highest-paid running back in the NFL.

Key points

• More news: Bears Insider Raises Concern Over Star CB's Status Ahead of 2026 Season.
• Gibbs now leads the league with an average annual salary of $22.5 million, followed closely by Robinson at $22.25 million and Taylor at $22 million.
• More news: Diego Pavia Has a Real Shot at Returning to College Football – Here's How.
• More news: Lions HC Dan Campbell Gives Uneasy Update on TE Sam LaPorta.
• But within just the last few weeks, three players now earn more than him: Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor.

Saquon Barkley entered the summer as the highest-paid running back in the NFL. It was a worthy title given his historic 2024 season. It earned him the contract in the first place. That year – his first with the Philadelphia Eagles – Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2, 000 yards in a regular season (2, 005 yards), set an all-time single-season record of 2, 504 total rushing yards including the playoffs, won AP Offensive Player of the Year, and capped it all off by winning Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles rewarded him with a two-year, $41.2 million extension a month afterwards, a agreement that created him the highest-paid running back in league history. But within just the last few weeks, three players now earn more than him: Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor. According to the Eagles star, though, that doesn't bother him one bit. "I love it. That's how it's supposed to be, " Barkley remarked Thursday, per Zach Berman of The Athletic. "Christian did it before me. I did it after Christian. And now we have three in a row. I look forward to the next guys to do it. It was like that for every other position besides running back. You can see that coming back to life. Those guys are particularly deserving of it. They're helluva players, create a lot of impact in games for their teams. Their teams are different when they're not on the field. Hopefully, in the next 5-10 years, it keeps going higher. That's how it's supposed to go." More news: Diego Pavia Has a Real Shot at Returning to College Football – Here's How Robinson was first to cash in, agreeing to a three-year extension with the Atlanta Falcons worth up to $75 million, including $51 million guaranteed. Two days afterwards, both Taylor and Gibbs landed their own deals. While the Detroit Lions signed Gibbs to a three-year accord worth up to $75.75 million, including $51.5 million guaranteed, taylor signed a two-year extension worth up to $47 million with the Indianapolis Colts, including $39 million guaranteed. Gibbs now leads the league with an average annual salary of $22.5 million, followed closely by Robinson at $22.25 million and Taylor at $22 million. Barkley sits fourth at $20.6 million per year. More news: Lions HC Dan Campbell Gives Uneasy Update on TE Sam LaPorta More news: Bears Insider Raises Concern Over Star CB's Status Ahead of 2026 Season As Barkley suggested himself, those numbers are probable to keep climbing – and if he can recapture his elite form from two seasons ago, he could be the next running back to reset the market once again.

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That year – his first with the Philadelphia Eagles – Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2, 000 yards in a regular season (2, 005 yards), set an all-time single-season record of 2, 504 total rushing yards including the playoffs, won AP Offensive Player of the Year, and capped it all off by winning Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles rewarded him with a two-year, $41.2 million extension a month afterwards, a agreement that created him the highest-paid running back in league history.

But within just the last few weeks, three players now earn more than him: Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor. According to the Eagles star, though, that doesn't bother him one bit.

"I love it. That's how it's supposed to be, " Barkley remarked Thursday, per Zach Berman of The Athletic. "Christian did it before me. I did it after Christian. And now we have three in a row. I look forward to the next guys to do it. It was like that for every other position besides running back. You can see that coming back to life. Those guys are particularly deserving of it. They're helluva players, create a lot of impact in games for their teams. Their teams are different when they're not on the field. Hopefully, in the next 5-10 years, it keeps going higher. That's how it's supposed to go."

Robinson was first to cash in, agreeing to a three-year extension with the Atlanta Falcons worth up to $75 million, including $51 million guaranteed. Two days afterwards, both Taylor and Gibbs landed their own deals. While the Detroit Lions signed Gibbs to a three-year accord worth up to $75.75 million, including $51.5 million guaranteed, taylor signed a two-year extension worth up to $47 million with the Indianapolis Colts, including $39 million guaranteed.

Gibbs now leads the league with an average annual salary of $22.5 million, followed closely by Robinson at $22.25 million and Taylor at $22 million. Barkley sits fourth at $20.6 million per year.

As Barkley suggested himself, those numbers are probable to keep climbing – and if he can recapture his elite form from two seasons ago, he could be the next running back to reset the market once again.

In short, eagles& #039; Saquon Barkley Reacts to No Longer Being NFL& #039; s Highest is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.