Sources: Eagles land Saquon Barkley in free agency, giving the star RB a 3-year, $37.75M deal

A former NFC East foe is set to become the face of the Eagles’ rushing attack.

The Eagles have agreed to terms with ex-New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley on a three-year, $37.75 million deal, NFL sources confirmed to The Inquirer on Monday. ESPN was first to report the news.

The deal includes $26 million fully guaranteed, which ranks second in the league among running backs, according to Over the Cap. The contract is worth up to $46.75 million.

Barkley, who played his college ball at Penn State and spent his high school career at Whitehall in Lehigh County, was the top free-agent running back heading into the new league year, which begins Wednesday. The 27-year-old spent all six seasons of his NFL career to date with the Giants and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express gratitude for his supporters.

“Thank you to everyone who has shown me love and support over the past 6 years,” Barkley wrote. “Forever grateful! Excited for the next chapter.”

Last season, Barkley played for the Giants on the franchise tag, collecting 962 yards and six touchdowns on 247 carries in 14 games. He also contributed in the passing game, with 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns.

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The Giants drafted Barkley in the first round, No. 2 overall, in the 2018 draft. That year, Barkley racked up a league-high 2,028 yards from scrimmage (1,307 rushing and 721 receiving). He set NFL records for most 100-plus yards from scrimmage games by a rookie with 12, most 50-yard-plus touchdowns by a rookie with five (tied with Randy Moss), most receptions by a rookie running back with 91, and most catches in a game by a rookie with 14 (in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys).

Barkley earned AP offensive rookie of the year honors that season as well as his first Pro Bowl nod. Barkley was also named to the Pro Bowl in 2022.

Not only is Barkley known for his talents as an explosive runner and a talented pass catcher, but also he has proved to be reliable as a pass blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, Barkley took 100 pass-blocking snaps last season, which ranked fourth in the league. He allowed two sacks and four quarterback hits total (95.9% efficiency, which placed third among running backs who took at least 60 pass-blocking snaps).

However, Barkley has dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career. Most notably, Barkley suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season that kept him sidelined for the rest of the year. One year earlier, he sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 2 that caused him to miss four games.

In his six years, Barkley has played a total of 74 regular-season games out of a possible 99. However, he has played 30 regular-season games of a possible 34 in his last two seasons.

A native of the Bronx, Barkley and his family relocated to several eastern Pennsylvania towns throughout his youth, including Bethlehem, Allentown, and Coplay. He was a four-star recruit out of Whitehall, rushing for 1,856 yards and collecting a total of 31 total touchdowns in his senior year. Barkley left Penn State as the school’s leader in all-time rushing touchdowns (43) and total touchdowns (53).

Barkley’s multiyear, premium deal marks a departure from general manager Howie Roseman’s recent approach to signing free-agent running backs. The Eagles haven’t signed one to a multiyear deal since Matt Jones in 2018 (two years). Previously, Chip Kelly signed DeMarco Murray to a five-year contract in 2015, but he played just one season with the Eagles.

The news of the Eagles agreeing to terms with Barkley came less than three hours after D’Andre Swift left after one season with the Birds by agreeing to a three-year, $24 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Barkley is now set to join Kenneth Gainwell in the 2024 Eagles running backs room, with Boston Scott and Rashaad Penny being unrestricted free agents.

Barkley and Swift weren’t the only running backs on the move in the NFC East on Monday. Former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard reportedly agreed to terms with the Tennessee Titans on a three-year deal worth up to $24 million.

The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane contributed to this report.