Howie Roseman on Signing Saquon Barkley: ‘Zig When Everyone’s Zagging’

The New York Giants and Saquon Barkley parted ways this offseason, with the talented running back eventually signing a three-year, roughly $37.8 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles that sees him as the fourth-highest paid RB in the league.

The Giants were adamant throughout offseason negotiations that they would not be willing to overpay for the two-time Pro Bowler, but a division rival wasn’t too concerned with the price tag.

Considering the value of the running back position has been on a downward trend over the years, NFL front offices are likely to have differing opinions when it comes to prioritizing a star-caliber RB.

For New York, they were firm on how much money they were willing to dish out for their star rusher. Philadelphia, however, was ready to roll out the check books in order to further bolster its already impressive roster of offensive playmakers.

Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman spoke about the decision to sign Barkley on Mad Dog Sports Radio, citing the need to think differently when building an NFL roster:

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Barkley Is Poised To Succeed in Philadelphia’s Offense

The RB is looking to put his history of injuries behind him

Barkley has had an incredible career outside of two season-ending injuries. He’s tallied 5,211 career rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns to go along with 2,100 receiving yards and 12 scores through the air during his five years in the Big Apple.

In a free agency market that was seemingly flooded with running backs this offseason, Roseman knew he would have to shovel up cash in order to get the player he wanted, and that’s exactly what he did. While a roughly $12.6 million average annual value may not seem like too much in the grand scheme of NFL contracts, it places Barkley fourth among running backs, just above Josh Jacobs’ four-year, $48 million deal with the Green Bay Packers and three spots above Derrick Henry’s one-year, $8 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

When taking the running back label out of the equation, Barkley’s deal with Philadelphia is somewhat similar to some WR2s/WR3s around the league. Barkley’s per-year cost slots nicely between the Atlanta Falcons’ Darnell Mooney ($13 million) and the New York Jets’ Allan Lazard ($11 million).

Finances aside, Barkley is set to rush behind the best offensive line unit he’s had in his six-year career. While the headlines might be focused on hopping from one divisional rival to another, Barkley jumped ship from the 30th-ranked scoring offense from 2023 to the 7th-ranked scoring offense.

Barkley recorded ridiculous numbers as the focal point of the Giants’ offense. Now, he’ll be surrounded by weapons like Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and A.J. Brown to take some of the attention away from him and open up the field when his number is called.

Even with concerns about his longevity and ability to stay healthy over the course of a 17-game season, Roseman seems confident in his decision to sign Barkley:

Source: NFL.com

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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