This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Saquon Barkley couldn’t be more thrilled about Eagles’ offensive overhaul
PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley , like every Eagles star who spoke after the first day of training camp, was asked about Jalen Carter’s historic contract.
Carter signed a four-year, $152 million extension on Tuesday, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL. Barkley said Carter “deserves” that money and added this.
“They’re not paying you for what you’ve done,” Barkley said Wednesday. “They’re paying you for what you’re going to do. ... And there’s another level he can take it to.”
After his record-setting 2024 season, Barkley signed a two-year, $41.2 million deal that makes him the highest-paid running back in the league on average.
The Eagles gave Barkley that deal in part because of the role he played in the Super Bowl LIX run, rushing for 2,000 yards and earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. But Howie Roseman also handed Barkley that money because they felt he was worth it moving forward. They believed some of Barkley’s best football was still ahead of him.
The Eagles are listed at +1800 on FanDuel to win Super Bowl 61. Our comprehensive FanDuel Sportsbook review provides an in-depth guide on how to use their platform. Also, check out our NFL futures betting guide if you’d like to learn more about how to bet on NFL futures.
Now, following a disappointing 2025 season, Barkley, at 29 years old, has a chance in the Eagles’ new offense to make their commitment to him well worth it.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs a drill during practice at the team's NFL football training camp in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) AP Photo/Chris Szagola
The Eagles’ offensive changeup under first-time coordinator Sean Mannion, the former NFL backup quarterback and Green Bay Packers assistant, is going to be stark.
Mannion is expected to draw from his experiences as a player under Sean McVay and as a coach on Matt LaFleur’s staff and implement an under-center, outside zone run scheme. We saw a good bit of that in the spring and on Tuesday, during the first practice of training camp.
That system is new to Barkley.
Barkley worked in shotgun, inside-zone based sets at Penn State, with the Giants and with the Eagles. Whether it was Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones or Trace McSorley, Barkley has spent his career aligned with his quarterback in the backfield before securing the handoff and getting downhill. That’s about to change — and that invigorates him.
“I feel like I have a chance to be really good in this system,” Barkley said at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. “I’ve seen it from afar. But now actually studying it and working in it and putting myself in the system, I feel like it’s going to open up some things that I may not have been able to show as much in my career. So I’m excited for that part of it.”
Barkley, a student of the game who’s always looking to learn, acknowledged in the spring that he spoke to Todd Gurley this offseason. Gurley, the former Rams star (and Mannion’s ex-teammate), was exceptional in McVay’s outside-zone scheme. Gurley rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and an NFL-best 40 touchdowns in 2017 and 2018.
Gurley is far from the only running back who succeeded in a wide zone or stretch system. Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey, for example, have devastated defenses, moving horizontally before jump-cutting into an open gap and taking it the distance.
Thriving in this system takes patience. It takes precision. It takes timing. Barkley knows that and has emphasized how much work he’s put in to do what’s necessary to succeed.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley (26) during practice at the team's NFL football training camp in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola) AP Photo/Chris Szagola
Like any offense, running rampant also requires the offensive line to work together and do its job. That’s out of Barkley’s control, just as it was last year.
Barkley admitted in the spring that 2025 fell short of his standards. He had to fight for yards in a stale offense behind an injured offensive line and still rushed for 1,140 yards. Not bad for most. But Barkley isn’t like most ball-carriers.
Barkley is arguably the best back in the league. He played that way in 2024, and he was paid that way the following offseason.
Now, as he approaches the 30-year-old mark for running backs, Barkley has an opportunity to reinvent himself in a new system — and make good on the investment the Eagles made.
“I think it’s pretty cool that you’re starting from scratch again,” Barkley said. “You’re learning a new language. You’re getting familiar with a new system. And it’s fun.
“It’s going to put you in spots to do something new, something you may not be used to. But as a competitor, you welcome that challenge.”
Eagles News
Eagles coach jabs Dr. Fauci: ‘Did you guys see that?’ Jul. 30, 2026, 12:44p.m.
Highly-paid Eagles superstar isn’t satisfied. Teammate says what’s next is ‘scary’ Jul. 30, 2026, 6:00a.m.
Eagles stars excited for LeBron James to join Philadelphia sports culture: ‘It’s huge’ Jul. 30, 2026, 5:30a.m.
Could this Eagles star’s surprise injury be a blessing in disguise? Jul. 29, 2026, 5:24p.m.
Read the original article on NJ.com . Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Saquon BarkleyEaglesSean Mannion'sJalen Carter’sCarterNFLBarkleyThey’reAfterThe EaglesSuper Bowl LIXNFL Offensive Player
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
