Saquon Barkley’s desire to perform at a high level is being questioned. On Wednesday’s episode of “First Take”, reporter Stephen A Smith believed the Philadelphia Eagles’ star running back may not be as motivated after getting a big contract. Smith says there’s a reason the Eagles offense is sputtering.“They’re not running the football effectively because the man, the Offensive Player of the Year that ran for 2,005 yards last year, is nowhere to be found this year,” according to Smith (Time Stamp 0:06).While he said he takes no joy in calling out Barkley’s game, he says it’s necessary.“Did this man get a two-year, 41.2-million-dollar extension in March after they won the Super Bowl? Did he get 36 million in guaranteed dollars? Didn’t that contract include an additional 15 million in incentives? I believe that was the case. So what’s up? You got the money and forgot how to play,” Smith wondered (Time Stamp 1:02).Partly because of this, Smith believes the Eagles are currently suffering an offensive identity crisis. Barkley led the league in rushing last season with 2,005 yards on the ground, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. In 2025, he’s only averaging 3.7 yards per carry.Barkley’s been notably unproductive in the fourth quarter of games this year, averaging a mere 1.9 yards per carry. He has 5.9 yards per carry in the opening quarter, with that average dropping to under 4.0 per carry in the second and third.Those numbers are a sharp contrast to how he performed in the latter stages of games last season. In 2024, Barkley averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the second half of games. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce called Barkley and Jalen Hurts’ issues running the ball are “frustrating to watch.”Eagles Offensive Tackle addresses Barkley’s issuesAs you might imagine, Barkley’s teammates are speaking up on his behalf. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata says their struggles on the ground are not solely on last season’s leading rusher.“It’s not on Saquon. It’s on all of us,” said Mailata.“We always say we’re one block away — it’s tiring and as repetitive as it is, that’s the truth,” he added.The Eagles’ offensive line has not been nearly as dominant as it was in the past season. Losing Mekhi Becton is one other area people have looked to as a reason for the struggles, with the guard joining the Los Angeles Chargers.While his stats are disappointing given what he achieved last season, Barkley has had similar performances in the past. In 2021 and 2023, he averaged 3.7 and 3.9 yards per carry with the New York Giants. He’s also 28 and has a history of injury problems. As a team, the Eagles are averaging 110.5 rushing yards per game, good for 21st in the NFL.