Saquon Barkley hopes younger backs beat his contract and "max it out even more"

Saquon Barkley made one of the biggest splashes in free agency last year when he agreed to leave the Giants for the Eagles and the running back cashed in again this year.

The Eagles signed Barkley to a two-year, $41.2 million extension that made him the highest-paid running back in league history. It came on the heels of Barkley running for more yards than any other player over the course of the regular season and a playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl win.

At a press conference on Monday, Barkley said that building on what he and the team accomplished "is a big goal of mine" and it's not the only thing he wants to see happen in the wake of his agreement. Barkley mentioned Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and James Cook while talking about how he hopes his deal helps other backs earn deals that make his look less like an outlier.

"I hope it does what it's supposed to do," Barkley said. "Every other position, the value increases each year. For the Bijans and the Gibbs — I know Cook is up, too. All those guys who are up need to get paid. I hope they beat it. That’s kinda how I look at it. I’m not one of those guys, I don’t care for this guy’s getting paid more than me or not. That’s what the sport is about, building the position up. All of those young guys that's underneath me, when there's a time, hopefully they beat it and max it out even more."

Robinson and Gibbs aren't eligible for extensions yet, but Cook has his eyes on landing one in Buffalo this offseason and the result of his effort will provide some evidence on how much Barkley's pact is impacting others.