Philadelphia Eagles extension for star running back Saquon Barkley is really bad news for the Buffalo Bills
The Philadelphia Eagles are doing something that goes against the grain in the NFL, but what else is new. Still in the same league year as when they gave star running back Saquon Barkley a three-year deal, they have now extended Barkley for two years beyond that for $41.2 million dollars. Not only does it […]
The Philadelphia Eagles are doing something that goes against the grain in the NFL, but what else is new. Still in the same league year as when they gave star running back Saquon Barkley a three-year deal, they have now extended Barkley for two years beyond that for $41.2 million dollars. Not only does it make him the highest paid running back in league history and the first running back to break the $20 million per year threshold, but it completely resets the running back market.
With James Cook stating that he wants $15 million per year, the task for Brandon Beane to negotiate this contract just got much tougher.
Prior to the new extension, Christian McCaffrey was the highest paid running back in the league at $19 million per season. The Colts' Jonathan Taylor was second at $14 million per, with Saquon behind him at $12.58 million, up to $13 million via incentives. Cook saw himself as more valuable than Taylor, which, based on the season numbers that he put up, would be hard to argue with.
To say James Cook is paying attention to the Barkley news is an understatement. It's incredible news for him, and horrible news for Beane.
I'm always on the side of the players getting what they deserve, especially at the running back position. The spot they play has an incredibly high turnover rate, and most players see one big payday, at most. They can't all be unicorns like Barkley and Derrick Henry, who will be making great money as they approach 30 years old. Right now, it's Cook's time.
The challenge for Beane is the cap situation, but with Barkley's new deal, his negotiating power has been significantly diminished. Somebody will be willing to pay Cook the money he's after. Whether or not it will be the Bills remains to be seen.
Buffalo Bills’ path in the AFC East just got a little easier after the latest news about a rival star wide receiver
The gate is wide open, Buffalo.
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