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Eagles Have Express ‘ Regret’ On the $137 Million Trade For Their Veteran To Jaguars as deal was finalized

The Philadelphia Eagles will come to regret their biggest move in free agency, according to one analyst.

The Eagles made a major splash by signing former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million deal. Barkley was arguably the top back available on the market and he’s easily a more prolific player than Philadelphia’s previous two starting running backs, D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders.

However, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report argued that the Eagles could have gone with a more “budget-friendly” running back and still received good production.

“The reality is that Philly probably could have gone with a much more budget-friendly running back and gotten good results,” Knox wrote on May 26. “They went the bargain route with Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift over the past two years and saw each make the Pro Bowl.”

Saquon Barkley Earning Substantially More Than Previous Eagles RBs

It’s hard to argue Knox’s point. Both Swift and Sanders had banner years and clinched Pro Bowl bids during their final years as starters for the Eagles. In Swift’s case, he was playing under an average annual salary of just $2.1 million per year during his rookie contract. In Sanders’ case, he was playing at an average annual salary of just $1.3 million while also still under his rookie contract.

In Barkley’s case, he was able to cash in during a time when not many running backs sign big contracts. Barkley’s average annual salary is nearly $12.6 million per year, ranking fourth among all running backs in the NFL. It’s also the biggest contract (on an average annual basis) signed by any running back in free agency.

There’s little doubt that Barkley is among the most productive backs when healthy. It was as recently as the 2022 season when Barkley ran for a career-high 1,312 yards and 4.4 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns, ranking fourth in the league in rushing yards. Barkley also ran for 1,307 yards during his rookie season in 2018, ranking second in the league in rushing yards.

However, the problem with Barkley is his lack of durability and history of injuries. Barkley suffered a torn ACL during the 2020 season and missed three games during the 2023 season. Furthermore, he has been inconsistent during his career, averaging 3.9 yards per carry in 2023 and just 3.7 yards per carry during the 2021 season.

“Barkley’s history of injuries and inconsistent results makes him a significant risk, and he isn’t an ideal long-term fit,” Knox wrote. “He’s struggled to stay on the field, he logged 640 touches over the past two seasons, and he’ll be 30 years old if he makes it to the end of his new contract.”