“I was a little fed up, to be honest. It felt like the only way the Giants wanted me (was) if I was able to go show my worth to someone. Like, I (had) to go prove that a team would want to pay me, so then, maybe, they would want to pay me.” Saquon Barkley was tired of not getting the respect as well as the money he was looking for. The trade happened! And it really isn’t a surprise to see the man shine for the Philadelphia Eagles, helping the team to win their second Super Bowl.

Ultimately, an MVP-caliber season while burning his former team and winning his first ring? That’s epic for sure! With this, Barkley not only proved his worth, but also brought the attention of the rest of the 31 teams to the difference a top-tier running back can make. So, what’s the market call this time?

GM Howie Roseman signed Saquon Barkley to a three-year contract with Philly for $37.75 million and $26 million guaranteed. His annual average of $12.6 million makes him the third-highest paid RB in the league, after Christian McCaffrey ($19M) and Jonathan Taylor ($14M). All these contracts as well as the players’ importance have definitely raised the market for other running backs, at least as per Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Brandt.

During a discussion this week with guest host Suzy Shuster on The Rich Eisen Show, Brandt highlighted the current situation of the market. He predicted, “Before last year, we had this really stagnant market for so many years as you saw and no one was getting over… $8-9 (million) a year. So, Barkley broke the seal with $12-13 million a year and the success of those….especially Josh Jacobs and especially Joe Mixon and Derrick Henry – all discarded by their prior teams, amazing. So yes, but a handful (of them will be paid big). You won’t see a gaggle of running backs getting $12-13 (million) a year.”

As of early 2025, several prominent running backs were waiting for their contract extensions. Players such as Aaron Jones, Najee Harris, J.K. Dobbins, Javonte Williams, Kareem Hunt, and more have hit the free agency market. So, the franchise tag deadline is on March 4. Before that, their respective teams need to re-sign them. Of course, the deals will not be coming for all. But as per Brandt, a few may expect good deals – thanks to the Eagles and Saquon Barkley.

Besides this, Brandt also highlighted the real issue. He pointed out that the wide receivers are raking in cash. Right now, over 20 receivers make $20 million or more per year, while only three running backs earn over $10 million. That’s a clear imbalance. The reality? Teams are overpaying receivers, who are easier to replace, while underpaying running backs, who are harder to find.

Saquon Barkley, now the seventh highest-paid player on the Eagles’ offense, is a steal at under $13 million. If a few more top backs get similar deals, teams will actually start saving money for the position. As per the analyst, running backs are already at a disadvantage. They can’t enter the NFL right away due to eligibility rules, which means they lose valuable earning years. Unlike quarterbacks or offensive linemen, they don’t need time to develop; they hit their prime early. And by the time they reach 27, teams hesitate to invest long-term. So, according to Brandt, the system is stacked against them. Hence, all the 31 NFL teams’ GMs could learn from Howie Roseman in this case!

Howie Roseman’s Saquon Barkley and other inspirational deals

No doubt before winning the Super Bowl on the field, GM Howie Roseman won big the offseason before. His journey started with nothing – just an unpaid internship and a dream. Fast forward to 2010, and he became the youngest GM in the NFL at 34. But success didn’t come easy. He built the Eagles’ first Super Bowl-winning team in 2017. Then came the brutal 2020 season. Many thought he was done. Instead, he rebuilt the roster and took Philly back to the Super Bowl. Although they lost to the Chiefs, the story didn’t end there.

The Eagles came back stronger, got their revenge, and won 40-22. It was “Howie season” when he stole Saquon Barkley from the Giants and turned him into a game-changer. He was the one who elevated Zack Baun from special teams to an All-Pro linebacker. He was the one who drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, transforming the defense into the best in the league. The evidence we have already seen in Super Bowl LIX. That’s the reason Andrew Brandt further expressed, “How Roseman has shown a way – that you don’t need to be worried about in five years in windows, push the envelope, you can make this happen and build rosters out in a strong way year to year.”

According to the analyst, the Eagles have shown that teams can be aggressive with their salary cap without constantly worrying about the future. Years ago, managing the cap was all about staying cautious, but that mindset has changed. Now, teams use strategies like voidable years and spreading out cap hits to build powerhouse rosters. The cap keeps rising every year, so the fear of long-term consequences isn’t as serious as some make it seem.

Hence, with so many rookies on cheap deals, taking up just a fraction of the payroll, there’s room to spend big elsewhere. And yes, Howie Roseman has proven that you just need to keep pushing forward and build strong rosters every year!