Saquon Barkley Excited To Cement His Legacy With Eagles After Extension

Two years ago, Saquon Barkley had no idea what to do. His then-team, the New York Giants, slapped the franchise tag on him. The Eagles won’t treat their All-Pro running back in such a manner, not after they agreed to give him a two-year contract extension a year after signing him to a three-year deal in free agency.

“Going back to when I get tagged, not trying to bring the past back up, but just reflecting on that,” said Barkley during a news conference on Monday. “Sitting there not sure what I should do and kind of making the decision not to set the tag and better myself, just shows me that every single time I bet on myself, more times than not, it comes out in the right way.”

The extension with the Eagles will keep Barkley in town until he’s 32 and pay him $41.1 million over the final two years.

“I think it was just mutual,” he said. “The love I have for this organization and wanting to be here for a very long time. The same thing they feel for me, obviously it shows, so I’m just thankful for the extension but being part of this organization. From top to bottom, they do it the right way. Everybody in this building. To be able to be part of this for another four years and hopefully more, I’m super excited about that.”

Barkley, of course, was one of the foundational pieces that helped the Eagles march to their second Lombardi Trophy in seven years, beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX one month ago. He set the rushing record for most yards in a season between playoffs and the regular season with 2,504, breaking Terrell Davis' mark that had stood since 1998.

Now, he gets to continue his legacy in Philadelphia. He said he has talked with Marshall Faulk, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 201, and that Faulk is remembered for being a member of the Los Angeles Rams, not so much for his first five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

“I’m a fan of Marshall Faulk’s, and to reach out to him and talk to him, when you talk about his legacy, a lot of things that are brought up are things he did as a Ram, not a Colt,” he said. “So, I think this extension gives me the opportunity to do that. I want to be, if not the greatest running back of all time, then one of the greatest running backs of all time. I hope I’m able to do that in an Eagles uniform.”