Last year, Saquon Barkley offered a glimpse into a financial strategy that looks very different from the usual athlete spending story. The Philadelphia Eagles running back has put a large share of his football earnings into investments, from index funds and real estate to startups linked to artificial intelligence, fintech and emerging technology. His approach comes from a simple concern: an NFL career can end quickly, so he wants his money working long after his playing days are over.
Saquon Barkley’s investment strategy began with his NFL earnings
Barkley entered the NFL as the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 and signed a $31.2 million rookie contract. Rather than treating that first major payday as spending money, he chose to invest it and rely on endorsement income for his lifestyle.“When I declared for the NFL draft and kind of realized where I was going to be drafted, that was something I was like, ‘You know what? Kind of want to follow the Marshawn Lynch method. I don’t want to touch that. I want to invest it, put it in the right peoples’ hands and learn as I continue to make investments. And just live off the endorsement deals,’” Barkley told ESPN in 2018.That mindset later expanded into private companies. According to The Profile, Barkley has invested in more than 10 startups, with individual investments typically ranging from $250,000 to $500,000. His reported portfolio has included Anthropic, Anduril, Ramp, Cognition, Neuralink, Strike and Polymarket. He has also invested through funds including Founders Fund.
Saquon Barkley looks beyond football to build long-term wealth
The motivation behind Barkley’s strategy is closely tied to the short shelf life of an NFL career. A serious knee injury in 2020 forced him to miss most of that season and made the risks of professional football impossible to ignore.“When you sit out of football for a whole year, you realize that this game could be taken away from you,” said Barkley.That experience helped push him towards a wider financial plan. He has invested in traditional assets such as S&P 500 index funds and property, while also taking larger risks in startups and cryptocurrency. In 2021, Barkley announced that he planned to put his endorsement income into bitcoin through Strike.His interest in venture investing grew after reading Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. Barkley has said he studies founders and asks direct questions about their businesses before deciding whether to invest.His approach is not without risk. Startup investments can lose value, and private-company valuations can change sharply. The Profile notes that Barkley understands that trade-off, but he sees ownership as a way to create financial security beyond his time on the field.For Barkley, the bigger picture is clear. Football provides the income, but investing gives him another path to preserve and potentially grow that wealth. His portfolio shows an NFL star preparing for a future that does not depend entirely on how many seasons his body can handle.
