Saquon Barkley is playing it smart when it comes to money. Following in the footsteps of Marshawn Lynch — who is an exceptional example of managing spending and investments post-retirement — the Eagles player maintains a tight grip on how he uses his substantial NFL cheques. This is also why he happens to have a pocket-friendly house at an hour’s distance from the City of Brotherly Love.
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Barkley had his priorities clear ever since he got drafted by the New York Giants. As a rookie, he bought a house for his family in Whitehall, PA, in 2018 for $424,500. The 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house located at Mallard Drive stands at a current market value of $650,000, according to Pro Football Network.
Spanning 3,400 square feet, the house has a rich brick facade exterior with a backyard, lawn, and a spacious patio. The interior has a modern kitchen, a living room, and a master suite. The house further has a furnished basement and a garage fit for parking two cars.
The cozy abode, just 63 miles from Philadelphia, was a gift from Barkley to his parents. The former Giants star had previously revealed that this had been a dream for him, ever since he was a three-year-old boy. Apart from his Whitehall residence, the athlete also owns a luxurious house at Quarry Mountain Lane, which has a price tag of $3.1 million.
Clearly, the star running back has come a long way since dreaming about buying his parents a house. And it all started with good financial decisions, something most athletes struggle to manage.
“That’s the goal, not to touch it,” said Barkley about his first contract signed right after getting drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. The young running back drew this inspiration from veteran players who made wise investments post-retirement.
Barkley’s money-saving inspiration
The Bronx native was engulfed in endorsements apart from NFL money when he stepped into the big league as the No. 2 overall pick. Right from the beginning, Barkley knew how he was going to handle the money that would come in: through investments.
At the CC Sabathia Celebrity Softball Game in 2018, the athlete told ESPN:
“Once I realized when I declared for the NFL draft and kind of realized where I was going to be drafted, that was something I was like, ‘You know what? Kind of want to follow the Marshawn Lynch method. I don’t want to touch that. I want to invest it, put it in the right people’s hands and learn as I continue to make investments. And just live off the endorsement deals.”
Lynch’s example stands out, as the football legend had spent conservatively over the years, saving a considerable portion of his NFL earnings. Later, he invested that money in several real estate ventures, including owning a restaurant.
Rob Gronkowski is another former player who saved a significant part of his earnings, living completely off his brand deal money, ultimately saving over $50 million!
If Barkley continues on his current path, we can easily expect the running back to soon join the aforementioned athletes in terms of accumulating resources, all by careful spending.
