Saquon Barkley’s place in Philadelphia suddenly feels a lot less settled than it did a year ago.
When he arrived in 2024, Barkley looked like the kind of addition that could tilt everything. He piled up 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns, and the Eagles rode that surge all the way to a Super Bowl title. But the follow-up in 2025 was far quieter: 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns, a sharp drop from the season before.
That decline has turned the conversation toward money, and toward a future that could get awkward fast. Sports Illustrated Eagles reporter Jeff Kerr pointed out that Barkley is guaranteed $16.75 million in 2026, but that figure falls to $2.5 million the following year.
Kerr also noted that Barkley has a $14.405 million option bonus in 2027, and that a post-June 1 cut next season would save the team $5 million. That leaves open a possibility nobody in Philadelphia wants to think about yet.
“If the Eagles pick up the option, they are paying a lot of money for a 30-year-old running back. Barkley wasn't elite last season, and it may not matter if he's elite this season.
The contract extension the Eagles gave him last offseason did Barkley no favors, but maybe he and the Eagles both knew that. This has been a good ride, but it may be coming to an end.”
That’s the uncomfortable part of this whole thing: Barkley may not be a lock to still be in an Eagles uniform in 2027.
It’s not a wild idea, either. Barkley hasn’t matched his 2024 level, and while injuries along the offensive line have played a role, he also hasn’t consistently found the open space the way he did two years ago.
Philadelphia does have an insurance policy waiting in Tank Bigsby. If Barkley’s run in Philly does wind down after the 2026 season, Bigsby would be the obvious candidate to take over. Even behind the same offensive line issues, he averaged 5.9 yards per carry, giving the Eagles a potential starter if that production holds.
The team could also use the draft to bring in and develop a younger back. Over the last two decades, the Eagles have had success doing that, with LeSean McCoy and Miles Sanders among the examples.
And this isn’t just about Barkley. Philadelphia has bigger financial decisions coming, with Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean all needing costly extensions. Those players may matter more to the franchise’s long-term outlook than a running back who will be 30 when the 2027 season opens.
Nobody in Philadelphia wants to seriously entertain that possibility yet. But if Barkley’s production stays closer to last year than to his 2024 explosion, the conversation won’t stay quiet for long.
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These Eagles Camp Names Could Shake Up The 53-Man Race
Training camp has a way of turning practice-field buzz into real roster pressure, and this Eagles group has several names worth watching once the pads come on. Na Brown flashed speed in minicamp and could keep pushing in the WR2 conversation on deep concepts, while Bigsby looks like the kind of back who can give the offense a physical changeup behind Saquon Barkley. Add in Young, who is trying to carve out a bigger role on the defensive line, and Kendall, who could get a long look in the interior mix, and there are already a few jobs that feel far less settled than they did in the spring.
Pulley is another player who could make things interesting if he keeps showing up around the ball, because undrafted safeties can force their way onto a roster fast when they create turnovers. Even the depth chart questions at guard and wide receiver have a little extra edge here, since the Eagles have a history of camp standouts who turn heads before the real decisions arrive. The names are lining up, the opportunities are there, and camp should tell us which of these players are just interesting bodies and which ones can actually change the 53-man race. [Read more 🡒]