Saquon Barkley gets real about resetting RB market after $41,200,000 deal

After winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award and the Super Bowl last year, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was rewarded with a major new contract.

After signing a new two year deal worth $41.2 million ($20.6 million per season), Barkley is now the highest paid running back in the National Football League.

More recently though, it was announced that Barkley would be on the cover of the newest edition of the popular Madden football video game series, Madden 26.

During a media appearance after being named as the cover athlete, Barkley got real about what it meant to overtake the major contract of San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and effectively reset the RB market.

What did Saquon Barkley say about his new contract?

Barkley appeared on the popular 'Green Light with Chris Long' show on Tuesday and made clear that he wanted to see the next group of free agents, specifically Detroit Lions Jahmyr Gibbs and Atlanta Falcons Bijan Robinson, push to overtake his contract.

"Christian [McCaffrey] got paid. And, you know, in a competitive way, you want to go beat Christian and set the new market. And now I was able to set the new market. And now it's up to the guys like Bijan [Robinson] and Jahmyr [Gibbs] and those guys to go out there and have a hell of a year and beat me, and that's what it's all about..."

However, Barkley made clear that although his contract was important in helping the running back market, he believed that the contract signed by Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry was even more meaningful. Henry signed a two year extension in Baltimore worth a total of $30 million.

"But what Derrick Henry did is even more because they say when a running back is 30 years old, he's done. Derrick Henry went out there and got $15M a year. So I think that's going to do more for the running back position, for guys like myself and Josh [Jacobs] and all these guys who are trying to get a second or third contract." (11:31) Barkley said.