Saquon Barkley has turned his destiny around after taking a timely exit from the New York Giants to join the Philadelphia Eagles. But to reinforce his legacy, becoming the best running back in the league, he has to go through Derrick Henry. This won’t be easy since Henry has been firing on all cylinders after joining the Baltimore Ravens.
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Averaging 112 rushing yards a game, Henry is putting on a show with Lamar Jackson week in week out. Saquon, meanwhile, is averaging 113.7 rushing yards a game, and looks on course to record the best season of his career. The race is on for the rushing title.
Barkley “hates” the fact that Derrick has trumped him before on a few occasions.
“As a competitor, I hate it,” Barkley said on The Pivot podcast. “Because I’m like we all want that rushing title and he already got some. I came second or third a couple of times. He already got some, so he could slow down. I actually messaged him today on IG like ‘Keep balling.’ And he got back to me saying, ‘Same to you.'”
This season, Barkley is not going to settle for being second best. “I want to be one of the best running backs to play,” he said.
And as the two push their limits, their bodies take a toll. The running back’s job is physically demanding, and Barkley feels his clan members need a salary hike.
Barkley calls Henry underpaid
Injuries are part and parcel of a running back’s life. Because of this, teams usually stay away from veteran RBs. If they end up signing one, they usually don’t commit to a bigger contract.
Take Henry’s case for instance. He signed a $16 million contract spanning two years with the Ravens. And he is doing most of the heavy lifting for their offense. Compare that to Saquon’s former QB Daniel Jones, who bags $40 million per year while still struggling.
“I love that he’s [Henry] a 30-year-old running back and he’s balling,” Saquon added. “I don’t pocket watch. Like everybody get your money, get your paper, but there are a lot of people right now that are getting paid a lot more than Derrick Henry and what are we really talking about.”
Game dynamics and norms dictate that an RB’s contract will always be lesser than that of a QB. However, even WRs get comparatively bigger contracts.
Saquon voiced his opinion against this disparity when the Giants refused to pay him a bigger contract in 2023. However, he soon found a team in Eagles who would pay for his actual worth. They signed him for $37.75 million in 2024, making him the second highest-paid RB in the league behind Christian McCaffrey.
