Surprising Eagles Superstar Ranks Among 'Riskiest' Contracts In NFL

Did the Eagles make the right call in free agency?

May 30, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during practice at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles very well could be back in the Super Bowl in 2024.

Philadelphia had a great offseason and reloaded the roster after a devastating end to the 2023 season. The Eagles were among the top teams in football for the first 12 weeks of the 2023 campaign and quarterback Jalen Hurts looked like the favorite to take home the Most Valuable Player award.

Things completely flipped and the Eagles struggled down the stretch and then were upset in the playoffs. Philadelphia responded in a major way this offseason and made a flurry of moves, including snatching superstar running back Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants.

Barkley is one of the league's best running backs and should give the Eagles a massive boost, but Fox Sports' Ben Arthur ranked his contract among the "riskiest" in the league.

"Contract: three years for $37.75 million, including $26 million guaranteed," Arthur said. "Why it's a risk: Barkley may very well be the missing piece to a loaded Eagles offense, but there's an inherent risk in paying that much to a 27-year-old running back with a lengthy injury history. Barkley has missed at least three games in four of his past five seasons. He's played a full season only once, his rookie year in 2018. He also had just one 100-yard rushing game last season, which came in October. How much of prime Barkley is left?"

Hopefully, Barkley is able to stay healthy because if he can, he could end up being the missing piece Philadelphia needs.

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