Eagles, as On Pattison predicted, give Saquon Barkley new contract

In the two weeks between the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LIX, On Pattison took some flak for running an article saying that Saquon Barkley had outperformed his contract and the Eagles would have little choice but to give him a new deal in the offseason.

As it turned out, that's exactly what happened Tuesday, with the Eagles rewarding the reigning Offensive Player of the Year with an extension: 

Eagles are rewarding Saquon Barkley with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, per sources. The deal makes Barkley the NFL’s first $20 million+ per-year running back. Barkley also has the ability to earn an… pic.twitter.com/h5iEf5IWe2

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025

Schefter went on to note in that the Eagles "are taking the rare step of extending Barkley one year into his three-year deal — and in the same league year in which they signed him to the initial contract." 

That's true, but Barkley is coming off of perhaps the greatest year a running back has ever had. He set a new franchise record with 2,005 rushing yards during the regular season, before delivering massive performances during playoff wins over the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders. 

Not only had Barkley outperformed his initial three-year, $37.5 million deal, but he earned more security. The Eagles would have been able to get out of his original deal after 2025 if they wanted. We'll wait to see some of the fine print on this new contact, but presumably he's tied to the Eagles through at least 2026 now, if not longer.