Every once in a while, there are professional athletes who come through the City of Brotherly Love, and you can almost feel the Earth quake. Jimmy Rollins... Chase Utley... Roy Halladay... Charles Barkley... Allen Iverson... Did you feel that smile creep across your face? Then, there are the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philly has a rich history in all sports. Fans of those teams are truly supportive, but the Birds rule the nest.
Reach superhuman levels in our favorite game, and you may as well be a rock star. See Jason Kelce or Brian Dawkins for evidence.
That brings us to a potential Philly sports icon, Birds tailback Saquon Barkley.
He's being robbed of touchdown runs, but that won't affect Saquon Barkley's bottom line.
It's hard to remember a buzz we've seen like this one. Terrell Owens entered Philly on fire but left like a wet match. Saquon is officially a fan favorite.
His stock rises weekly, and when he's done, he could leave the Eagles nest as a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No one has to question whether or not he'll be wealthy.
Sometimes, it feels great to be wrong. It wasn't that long ago when we thought there was no way the Eagles would pay huge money for a tailback. Then, they offered Saquon $37.8 million to be paid over three seasons.
Let's just say that decision has worked out for them.
Stating Saquon has a reasonable argument to win the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year Award is an understatement. He's been on everyone's radar for weeks now.
But, he has to score touchdowns, right? No?
Some believe all of those Brotherly Shoves during those goal-to-go situations are robbing Saquon of a better resume, statistically at least. The jury is out on that one, but we do know they won't affect his bottom line.
One might argue that, after doing all of the heavy lifting, Barkley deserves to score those goal-line TDs instead of Jalen Hurts, but according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, none of that affects Saquon, his money, or his incentives.
From @NFLGameDay: #Eagles RB Saquon Barkley's bottom-line isn't affected by the Tush Push, as he has zero incentives based on TDs. Smart move. pic.twitter.com/eBvtk8fgaj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 17, 2024
Film study and NFL research tell us that Saquon has been tackled at the one or two-yard line 11 times this season. We all know they play that is typically called after that.
Jalen may score a ton of short-yardage TDs, but Barkley's additional paybumps have nothing to do with whether or not he reaches the end zone more often.
If he racks up 1,500 total yards (rushing and receiving), he'll earn a $250,000 incentive. He already has collected 1,347. He can earn another $250,000 if he reaches 2,000 total yards. The amount he earns from his yardage incentives would also become an escalator that is added to his 2025 salary.
Oh, and there's more. Postseason success would also allow him to cash in. If he earns a First-Team All-Pro selection, he adds $500,000 to his bottom line. A second-team honor or a Pro Bowl nod adds $250,000.
Those incentives would also be added to his 2025 base salary as escalators.
Barkley also has up to $500,000 tied to the Eagles’ postseason performance. If the Eagles win a Super Bowl title or the NFC Championship Game, he'd bank $250,000 for each victory.
We'd love to see him cash in!