The offseason addition of Saquon Barkley helped elevate a sluggish offense for the Philadelphia Eagles and lead the team to a Super Bowl.
While building teams through the draft is still the most desirable avenue for success in the NFL, free agent additions have played a major role for several Super Bowl teams since unrestricted free agency came to the NFL in 1993.
If Barkley can help deliver a Super Bowl title to Philadelphia when the Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, he will join a list of stars from Reggie White to Tom Brady who helped their teams win Super Bowl titles after signing big free agent deals.
Barkley posted one of the most prolific seasons ever for a running back after signing a $37.75 million, three-year contract in March. He became the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a regular season, set an NFL record with seven TD runs of at least 60 yards in the regular season and playoffs and needs 30 yards rushing to break Terrell Davis’ record of 2,476 yards set in the 1998 season for most ever in a season, playoffs included.
Here’s a look at some of the most impactful free agents on Super Bowl champions over the last three decades.
Reggie White, Packers
The first major unrestricted free agent left Philadelphia before the 1993 season and helped build a powerhouse in Green Bay. White was the most dominant defensive player for most of the 1990s and turned the Packers into a perennial contender. Green Bay ended a 10-year playoff drought in White’s first season, made it to the conference title game in his third year and helped lead the Packers to the title in his fourth season.
Deion Sanders, 49ers and Cowboys
Prime Time played a major part in two Super Bowl titles starting when he joined San Francisco in 1994 as part of a major spending spree. After winning four titles in the 1980s, the Niners lost to Dallas on back-to-back conference title games in the 1992-93 seasons, creating a sense of urgency for notoriously inpatient owner Eddie DeBartolo.
The investment in Sanders played immediate dividends. He had three pick-6s on the way to winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and had interceptions in the NFC title game win over the Cowboys and Super Bowl win against the Chargers.
Sanders left after that season and joined the enemy, signing with the Cowboys. He helped deliver a Super Bowl title his first season in Dallas as well.
Drew Brees, Saints
Brees showed flashes early in his career with the Chargers but was deemed expendable following the 2005 season with San Diego set to turn over the offense to Philip Rivers.
Brees was coming off shoulder surgery that scared away Miami and signed with New Orleans. The Saints had won one playoff game in their history before Brees arrived and their viability in New Orleans was in doubt following the damage from Hurricane Katrina. But Brees helped solidify the Saints long-term status by leading them to the NFC title game in his first year and the winning it all in his fourth season.
The shoulder injury proved to be of little concern as Brees spent 15 years in New Orleans before retiring as one of the game’s most prolific passers.
Charles Woodson, Packers
After the big splash signing of White in the initial class of free agents, the Packers were much less aggressive the following decade. But they did step up to sign Woodson after he left Oakland following the 2005 season.
Woodson revived his career in Green Bay and won AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. The next season he helped the Packers get to the Super Bowl where they won their fifth title despite losing Woodson to a broken collarbone late in the first half.
Peyton Manning, Broncos
After winning a Super Bowl for Indianapolis and becoming one of the game’s top quarterbacks ever, Manning needed to look for a new home in 2012 after a serious neck injury forced him to miss the previous season and led the Colts to turn the team over to rookie Andrew Luck.
After a free agency tour, Manning opted to sign in Denver in a move that paid immediate dividends. In four seasons with the Broncos, Manning won two MVPs, led the Broncos to two AFC titles and won the Super Bowl in his final game before retiring following the 2015 season.
Tom Brady, Buccaneers
After winning a record six Super Bowl titles in New England, Brady and the Patriots broke up following the 2019 season. While New England hasn’t come close to getting back to the title game, Brady got there in his first season in Tampa Bay after throwing for 4,633 yards and 40 TDs in his first season.
Helped along by the addition of old Patriot running mate Rob Gronkowski, Brady helped the Bucs end a 12-year playoff drought and won his seventh Super Bowl, knocking off Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes along the way.
