Ask who has the boldest bankroll in the NFL, and Saquon Barkley’s name jumps off the ledger. But his game isn’t just about breaking tackles. It is about breaking away from inflation, one Bitcoin at a time. Back in 2021, the now-Eagles running back made a headline-stealing move as he channeled all of his endorsement cash straight into Bitcoin via Strike. He called out the weakening dollar while betting big on crypto’s climb. Fast-forward to 2025 with Bitcoin smashing through $123K, and Barkley’s financial play is looking like one of the best runs of his career. And while his Bitcoin bet on endorsements is aging like a champ, Barkley’s starting to wonder: what if he’d gone all in?

Saquon Barkley recently appeared in a video segment shared by Cointelegraph in partnership with Boardroom and Coinbase, shared on X. Here, in this clip, he reflected on a unique “what if” scenario on taking his NFL contract in Bitcoin. Barkley, always introspective and open, didn’t shy away from the hypothetical. “Knowing what you know today, would you go back and take your whole contract in Bitcoin?” he was asked. Barkley smiled and admitted, “I mean, yeah,” while adding further, “I think I’ll probably panic a little bit more when the dips happen. Celebrate a little bit more with the wins.”

Barkley recalled advice from MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor, who once told him to “throw it all in.” Barkley didn’t take that leap, but now reflects, “Probably should’ve listened to him because I think he’s doing pretty well right now.” Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy, has transformed his company into one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin. And, as per his views, he considers Bitcoin as digital gold and a hedge against inflation, using equity and debt to acquire over 607,000 BTC.

Although he didn’t go all in, his journey into crypto began in 2021, driven by concerns about inflation. He harbored an inherent desire to create generational wealth that “you just can’t build by stacking cash in a savings account anymore.” Barkley revealed that he converts 100% of his endorsement money, from brands like Nike, Pepsi, and Dunkin’, into Bitcoin using the Strike app, citing, “You see inflation, you see how high it is right now, and you learn that you can’t save your wealth. That’s why I’ll be taking my marketing money in Bitcoin.” That’s over $10 million redirected into the digital asset space.

But he didn’t use the opportunity to hype crypto blindly. Instead, Barkley emphasized the importance of responsibility and education. “I would never tell someone how much money they should throw in,” he said, stressing the need to “educate yourself on stuff before you just step into it.” That mindset has helped him far beyond the field. Getting involved with tech and crypto has, he says, “helped me more as an individual and even as an athlete.”

From connecting with “great individuals” to realizing that “success is not an accident,” Barkley views investing, much like football, as a discipline rooted in vision. He further added, “What I’m trying to get to in my profession and where they got to in their profession is all the same.” And for Barkley, that realization, he says, “has probably been the coolest.” However, Barkley isn’t the only NFL entity that has vouched for the Bitcoin payment model, as he followed in the footsteps of NFL icon Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers has been down the Crypto road

Aaron Rodgers began taking an interest in Bitcoin on November 1, 2021, when the quarterback announced via social media that he would receive a portion of his $22 million salary in Bitcoin. And, this was in partnership with Cash App. Wearing a John Wick Halloween costume, Rodgers declared, “I believe in Bitcoin and the future is bright. That’s why I’m teaming up with Cash App to take a portion of my salary in bitcoin today.” The deal also included a $1 million Bitcoin giveaway to fans, who could participate by sharing their $Cashtag and using the hashtag #PaidInBitcoin. Rodgers also further noted that crypto “can be intimidating,” but he wanted to “make it more accessible to my fans… we can go to the moon together.”

At the time of the announcement, Bitcoin was trading between $60,000 and $67,000, and analysts estimated that if Rodgers had taken his entire salary in Bitcoin, it would have equaled approximately 368 BTC. The move made Rodgers one of the highest-profile athletes to embrace cryptocurrency, joining others like Tom Brady and Barkley.

In fact, in recent years, several NFL players have embraced Bitcoin as part of their compensation or investment strategy. Russell Okung was the trailblazer, converting half of his $13 million salary with the Panthers in 2020 into Bitcoin via a third-party service. Following him, Odell Beckham Jr. converted his entire 2021 Rams salary into Bitcoin.

Other than that, Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars’ top draft pick in 2021, placed his entire signing bonus into crypto through Blockfolio, while Sean Culkin, then with the Chiefs, planned to take his entire salary in Bitcoin (though he was later waived). While no NFL team pays salaries directly in Bitcoin, these athletes have used platforms to convert their pay into digital currency. And, indeed, it has been a bold move to establish long-term financial security.