Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles played against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. The star running back has been his team’s most consistent player this season and had another highlight play in the Week 12 game.
Barkley rushed for a 70-yard touchdown at the start of the second half and gave the Eagles a 13-point lead. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with Philadelphia this past offseason, and he earned a $250k incentive with his big touchdown run.
Full List of Saquon Barkley’s Incentives With Eagles
Per Spotrac, with his performance against the Rams, Barkley has completed 1,500+ yards from scrimmage, which has earned him the massive incentive. Here is the complete list of incentives in the Eagles star’s contract:
- 1500+ Scrimmage Yards: $250,000
- 2000+ Scrimmage Yards: $250,000
- Pro Bowl (Original Ballot): $250,000
- 1st Team All-Pro: $500,000
- 1000+ Rush Yards + Conference Champ Win: $250,000
- 1000+ Rush Yards + Super Bowl Win: $250,000
With how he has played this season, Barkley should easily complete the first four objectives, which will net him $1.25 million in incentives. The 27-year-old running back has by far been the best player at his position in the league and fully deserves the accolades and incentives that he will receive this season.
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Reply that you love Saquon Barkley.@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/0h0Whzyn49— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 25, 2024
At the time of writing, the Eagles led by 27-14 against the Rams, with Barkley rushing for 152 yards on 16 carries, a touchdown, and 46 yards on four receptions. Without him, the Eagles would not be a Super Bowl contender, and hopefully, his efforts will be recognized by the voters for individual awards.
LeSean McCoy holds the record for the single-season rushing yards in the Eagles’ franchise history with 1,607 yards. By the time the game against the Rams is over, Barkley will cross the 1,300 rushing yards mark for the season. He is averaging well above 100 rushing yards per game, and McCoy’s record could get broken in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Should Barkley Be an MVP Candidate?
With a win over the Rams, the Eagles could go 9-2 and extend their winning streak to seven games. They will also have the joint third-best record in the league, and one of their players deserves to be an MVP contender.
While Jalen Hurts has played quite well, Barkley has simply been much better and more impactful. Adrian Peterson was the last running back to win the MVP award, and he had 2,097 rushing yards with 13 total touchdowns.
The Eagles star already has 11 touchdowns on the season and above 1,200+ rushing yards through the first 11 games of the season. If he does end up with better numbers than Peterson, Barkley should be considered for the MVP award.
Lamar Jackson is having a phenomenal season, but his team’s record is worse than the Eagles. Patrick Mahomes’ team has the best record, but he hasn’t played well enough to win the MVP award, while Jared Goff’s five-interception game against the Houston Texans could be a deciding factor in his claim to win the MVP.
Josh Allen is currently the favorite to win the MVP, but the Bills may finish with a worse record than the Eagles. Since no single MVP candidate has distinguished himself from others, the race should be wide open, with Barkley being seriously considered for the award.