Saquon Barkley hit with $250,000 blow after Nick Sirianni’s brutal Week 18 decision

Jan 3, 2026 - 15:45

Saquon Barkley will not get the opportunity to hit a $250,000 incentive bonus on his contract this season.

The Philadelphia Eagles‘ superstar running back sits just 87 yards shy of recording a combined 1,500 rushing and receiving yards on the 2025 NFL season.

Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs in action during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium — Barkley will miss out on a $250k contract bonus after being benched for the regular season finale

Head coach Nick Sirianni looks frustrated on the Eagles sideline — Sirianni has opted to rest his stars for the regular season finale with all eyes on a deep playoff run

But Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni‘s latest decision has hampered Barkley’s chances of earning his bonus.

Saquon Barkley loses out on $250k bonus amid Week 18 benching

With the reigning Super Bowl champions having already clinched the NFC East title and secured their playoff berth, Sirianni has opted to bench the three-time Pro Bowler ahead of their Week 18 clash against the Washington Commanders.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts joins Barkley in being benched by Sirianni in a move to ensure they avoid any risk of injury as they bid their quest to go back-to-back as world champions.

“#Eagles HC Nick Sirianni announced they will rest RB Saquon Barkley in Week 18 in preparation for the playoffs,” FOX Sports posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Last season, Barkley was denied the chance to chase down Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards – falling just 100 yards short – after being shut down by Sirianni for Week 18.

However, there is still a possibility that the Eagles could adjust Barkley’s incentive target so that he still gets the bonus.

This would follow a trend they set last year when the organization adjusted ex-defensive end Josh Sweat’s contract so that he still got paid for his sack incentive.

Barkley spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants, but after being able to walk away in free agency, their NFC East rivals snapped him up on a three-year, $37.75 million deal.

Last season, the 28-year-old set the league alight when he rushed for 2,005 rushing yards and 13 scores in the regular season, in which he averaged 125.3 yards per game.

He did so in just 16 games and became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, whilst also tallying an additional 278 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

In what was just his second ever post-season appearance, Barkley rushed for 499 yards from 91 carries and five touchdowns en route to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles hands off to Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium on December 20, 2025 in Lan= — The one-two punch of Barkley (L) and Hurts (R) are expected to be rested on Sunday

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images) — Barkley was an integral part of the Eagles offense that went on to win the Super Bowl

After Barkley struggled to get back into rhythm back at the start of the 2025 season, he eventually came back to life in the Eagles’ Week 8 win over the Giants, recording a season-high 174 yards from scrimmage.

He surpassed 100-plus rushing yards in just three games this season.

Eagles’ drama-filled season

The defending Super Bowl champions’ 2025 campaign got off to a winning – albeit strange – start.

In the first game of the new season against their biggest rivals in the Dallas Cowboys, star defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected from the game before the first snap had been played after spitting in Dak Prescott‘s face.

The Eagles would still go on to win the contest, and would also win their next three outings before they suffered back-to-back defeats to the Denver Broncos and the Giants.

Eagles WR's DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown on the field — Smith and Brown were left frustrated due to the lack of passing in the Eagles’ offensive scheme

Super Bowl Power Rankings

6. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

The Eagles are at their best when they’re punching victories and playing the ‘Us vs Everybody’ card.

Philly reminded the NFL that it’s still the reigning world champs with a tough road win vs Buffalo in Week 17.

Checkout talkSPORT’s latest Super Bowl power rankings RIGHT HERE!

Murmurs had already begun to swirl that things weren’t all rosy in the Eagles camp, with frustrations appearing to be boiling over for Philadelphia’s two wideouts DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown.

With Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo having relied heavily on the run game, the receivers – particularly Brown – were unhappy with the amount of targets they were receiving.

Reports then emerged that Brown and Hurts’ relationship continued to be somewhat fractured after the former Ole Miss receiver candidly admitted that he wasn’t as close with his quarterback as in previous years back in the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX.

Despite Brown continuing to sound off on his team throughout the season, the Eagles overcame a mid-season three game skid to enter Week 18 with an 11-5 record, and possession of the third seed in the NFC.

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