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Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Philadelphia Eagles made Saquon Barkley the highest-paid NFL running back of all time after the 2024 season, it was about how he played on the field … and about a bunch more stuff beyond that.
Barkley’s breakout season in his first year with the Eagles in 2024 put him in another stratosphere of professional athletes in terms of marketability — the end result of which came when his No. 26 jersey topped all NFL jersey sales, according to Lids.
Barkley wasn’t the only Eagles player to land in the Top 10, with quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts‘ No. 1 jersey coming in at No. 3 on the list, with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey sandwiched between them at No. 2 on the list.
The Eagles were the only team to put 2 players in the Top 10:
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Steep Drop Off for Eagles, Barkley in 2025
After the product the Eagles put on the field in 2025, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both Barkley and Hurts saw their jerseys drop completely out of the Top 10 — and for good reason.
One year after having what seemed like an almost-unstoppable offense at times, the Eagles barely looked like a functioning unit on that side of the ball.
One year after going 14-3 in the regular season and rolling to a dominant win in Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles went 11-6 and lost to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Nowhere was that struggle more pronounced than with Barkley, who was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year after the 2024 season when he became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
In total, Barkley had 2,283 yards of total offense and 15 total touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry, and did so while sitting out the regular-season finale.
In 2025, Barkley had 1,140 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns while averaging just 4.1 yards per carry — all after he received a 2-year, $41.2 million contract extension.
Eagles Could Look Much Different in 2026
The Eagles tried to address one of the biggest issues holding back the offense by firing offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after one season in which he showed to have the imagination of someone putting together widgets on an assembly line for a living.
Patullo was replaced with former NFL quarterback and Green Bay Packers assistant coach Sean Mannion, and that might not be the only change that gets made.
Part of Philadelphia’s problem in 2025 was internal discord that seemed to be stoked primarily by one person — mercurial wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown’s complaining and just his behavior in general might lead to him being traded, even it comes at a massive cost to the Eagles. If Brown were to stay, he’d cost just $23.4 million against the salary cap. If he’s traded, which is the most likely scenario, it will cost the Eagles approximately $43 million in dead cap money.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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