Which positions in the NFL are paid the least? You would probably think specialists like punters, fullbacks, and long snappers, right? Right. However, the 4th-lowest paid position is one of the most important roles for any team — the running back. They are paid just under $1.8 million on average, nearly half a million less than kickers. Even the best tailbacks, like Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, are rarely paid in correlation with the value they bring in.
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Barkley left the New York Giants for the division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, last offseason because of money. The Giants didn’t want to give him enough, guaranteed or otherwise. In the end, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles. Despite leading the league in rushes and rushing yards, his AAV is just under $12.6 million.
The Penn State alumnus is certainly making enough to live comfortably, but he’s not earning what he should be based on the value his 2,005 rush yards brought to the Super Bowl 59 champions. Barkley could demand a pay raise. But then he isn’t the type of guy to do that. So all he could do to make up for that low pay at his day job is to make lucrative investments.
One such is his partnership with financial technology company Ramp, which was founded in 2019 in Manhattan, New York. While Barkley’s 25 carries for 57 yards in Super Bowl 59 were unimpressive, his ad with Ramp during the broadcast certainly turned heads. Especially considering it was produced on just seven days’ notice.
BREAKING: Saquon Barkley will star in a Super Bowl commercial for @tryramp.
Rather than exclusively accepting cash for the endorsement, Barkley became an investor in the company — his largest private technology investment.
Ramp is one of the fastest-growing companies ever. pic.twitter.com/zoXwWF77tj
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 6, 2025
Barkley didn’t just get money for the spot. Instead, he chose to receive his payment in the form of a major investment in one of the fastest-growing tech companies. It’s by far Barkley’s biggest investment in the tech industry.
Ramp is involved in simplifying business necessities by assisting owners with things such as making payments, issuing corporate charge cards, and managing vendors. Essentially, it’s a one-stop shop for automating bookkeeping, a tedious task for businesses.
It’s a company with a seemingly bright future, though they did recently have a hiccup. In December, after previously raising money at an $8.1 billion valuation, they raised $300 million at a smaller $5.8 billion valuation.
However, they do seem like they’re still on an upward trajectory. They acquired AI startup Cohere.io in 2023 and before that, the ‘negotiation-as-a-service’ platform, Buyer, in 2021. Barkley had explained his reasons for partnering with Ramp earlier.
“True partnership requires skin in the game. That’s why I invested in Ramp. I saw firsthand how they’re powering American businesses to cut costs and achieve a higher level of performance. That’s the kind of impact I want to be part of,” said Barkley.
The Super Bowl champion is no stranger to financial risks. While Barkley has invested in safer, more reliable industries, like with energy drink company X2 Performance, he’s also invested heavily in cryptocurrency, most notably Bitcoins.
Could Barkley potentially become the next sports star to take his salary in cryptocurrency rather than the good ol’ U.S. Dollar?
