The Philadelphia Eagles made history this week by making Saquon Barkley the highest paid running back ever (on a per-season basis). The Eagles gave Barkley a two-year contract extension worth just over $41 million, bringing his average yearly salary to $20.6 million. This bodes very well for Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. There are a couple of note-worthy running backs that will be eligible for contract extensions after the 2025 season, that Barkley is helping out as well.
Derrick Henry may get upwards of $20 million per year, but the veteran back probably will not go over. James Cook will be coming off of a rookie contract, and will get more years than Henry, but will likely stay in the $15-$20 million range, which still likely wouldn’t happen without Barkley getting the contract he did.
It was only a couple of years ago when it was thought that the running back position would never get paid as much as other skill position players because of the shorter “shelf life,’ but then Barkley had one of the best seasons ever on the way to a Super Bowl championship in 2025, and the Eagles smartly paid him what he was worth.
Enter Bijan Robinson.
In Year 2 for Robinson, he compiled almost 1,700 yards from scrimmage, and now the experts are saying he is due to “break out” in 2025. This is almost laughable, but it is not because it can't be true. Robinson, assuming he stays healthy, should easily eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in 2025, and may do that for multiple years in the foreseeable future.
As of now, according to experts, Robinson is the third-best running back in the NFL, behind Barkley and Henry, and is younger that both of them only entering his Year 3. The sky is truly the limit for Robinson, and when the time comes, he will land a contract making him the highest paid running back ever.
Thank you, Saquon! Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael explore this a little further, as well as the value of a couple of other Falcons that are soon to be paid.