Saquon Barkley will have many reasons to enjoy his 28th birthday, provided the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night in New Orleans.
An Eagles’ victory in the big game would net Barkley a $250,000 incentive bonus, which would match the total he received after Philadelphia’s 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game. Barkley rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
Barkley, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, already has earned $3 million in incentives, per ESPN. That’s quite the boost for Barkley, who signed a three-year contract worth $37.75 million last March — complete with an $11.625 million signing bonus.
Barkley also could make NFL history on Sunday. His 2,447 rushing yards accumulated over the regular season (2,005) and the playoffs (442) are just 29 shy of the NFL record held by Terrell Davis, set in 1998 with the Denver Broncos.
Barkley joined the Eagles in the offseason after a six-year run with the New York Giants, with whom he totaled 5,211 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. This season, his yards gained and his 15 rushing touchdowns spearheaded the Eagles’ potent ground game during their push to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl LIX appearance.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Barkley was named first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2024. He also earned several Rookie of the Year awards in 2018 before winning the Bert Bell Award (top NFL player) in 2024.
–Field Level Media