PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley couldn’t have had a better first season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley broke records and became the ninth player to ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. He was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. And of course, he propelled the Eagles on a Super Bowl run. It was all pretty memorable.

Only nine running backs have ever rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season. In a volatile position with a short shelf life, running backs have struggled to find ways to secure both high pay and long-term value.

Saquon Barkley is a historian of the NFL, a player who studies the game's past while trying to rewrite that history and etch his own name in the record books. Barkley certainly made history last season,